BACUP and Rawtenstall Grammar School celebrated a successful year at its prize evening.

Over the past 12 months the school saw record exam results, the opening of a brand new sixth form centre and a record breaking netball game.

At the Waterfoot school's event last night, headteacher Marc Morris congratulated returning year 11 and year 13 students, who chalked up some of the best results in BRGS's history - a 99.7per cent pass rate at A level, and 97.3per cent at GCSE.

Mr Morris also paid tribute to David Heap, long-standing chairman of governors who died earlier this year.

But Mr Morris said the school's achievements shortly before his death "rounded off his long association with BRGS with a genuine flourish and a huge sense of pride and achievement".

As well as academic flair, the Glen Road school's netball team showed remarkable physical stamina in breaking the world record for netball endurance, by completing a match of over 55 hours in March, on the same day that the new sixth form centre opened.

Mr Morris also congratulated the whole school for the Ofsted report in March, which deemed the school "good, with some outstanding features", and a school students are proud of.

Mr Morris said: "Our challenge is to develop and create facilities for the curriculum, students and staff that match the needs of the 21st century "I remain determined to drive this agenda forward for the benefit of all."

SPECIAL AWARDS WINNERS

LOWER SIXTH FORM PRIZES: E Bailey; The Freda Ebden Memorial Prize for English: R Barlow; O Birleson; N Bracewell; The J E Macleroy Modern Languages Prize: F Brindle; The Music Cup, J Brown: K Dyson; R Flook; K Higginson; G Hughes; The George and Mai Holt Languages Prize: E Lester; A Maxwell; R Mills; M Neilson; The Psychology Prize: E Owens; J Parton; V Postlethwaite; C Slinger; T Thomas; J Thomas.

OTHER PRIZES: The Ashley Tyson Cup for Sports Personality (joint winners): R Ashworth and Hannah Bennett; The E A Whittaker Memorial Prize for German, The Joe Scott Prize for History (joint winner), The Year 11 History Prize (joint winner), and Year 11 Prize: C Boon; Year 11 Prize: S Cahill; Year 11 Prize: T Cocakyne; The Mayor of Rossendale's Progress Prize (joint winner): K Connor; Year 11 Prize: R Crane; Year 11 Prize: L Dabbs; The Patricia Rawlinson Memorial Prize for Food Technology, The Princess Diana Memorial Award and Year 11 Prize: C Dunne; Year 11 prize: S Hill; The Jack E Barnes Cup for English GCSE, The Joe Scott Prize for history (joint winner), The F Harding Georgraphy Prize (joint winner), The Year 11 History Prize (joint winner), and Year 11 Prize: B Hinson; Year 11 Prize: K Meacher; The Dr P Lord and O M Holt Memorial Prize for Music, The Year 11 Prize for Mathematics, and Year 11 Prize: J Mitchell; The Rev Jack Hawthorne Art Prize (joint winner): M Robbins; The Mayor of Rossendale's Progress Prize (joint winner): M Rutherford-Dempster; The R L Hutchinson Memorial Prize for Technology GCSE, The Rev Jack Cawthorne Art Prize (joint winner), and Year 11 Prize: E Silkstone; The F Harding Geography Prize (joint winner), The Harry Gibson Cup, and Year 11 Prize: S Taylor.