FIVE years ago more than a third of the pupils who started at Stacksteads' Fearns High School, Bacup, had special educational needs -- but they left with the school's best ever GCSE results.

"I stand before you a proud man," declared headteacher Neil Thornley at the presentation evening.

"Proud in the knowledge that because of hard work and determination on the part of teachers I can report the best ever results in GCSE."

The school experimented this year entering the top set of year ten maths students for the GCSE a year early and all achieved grade C or better. They will take the exam again at the end of the course. He said those few pupils who were not successful were those who did not attend school regularly. "The message is clear, if you do not come to school you will fail," he said.

And he criticised parents who condone pupil absenteeism by arranging shopping trips or holidays abroad during term time.

Mr Thornley said: "The fact that time off school during term time does untold damage to children's education and their attitude to school, seems not to matter to an increasing number of people, including the travel trade.

"Children have 12 weeks holiday each year and that, in my view, should be sufficient except in the rarest of cases."

He slammed people who said exams are getting easier. "I can assure them that they are not. "What I suggest is that they should try to study a few GCSEs themselves, not nine or ten like some of our pupils, just a few -- then let them say the process is easier -- different, possibly, more efficiently taught, definitely -- but easier no.

"Our pupils' success is based on hard work and sound practice and much more efficient teaching methods.

"They fully deserve the magnificent results they have achieved. Luck does not come into it."

Prizewinners:

For outstanding examination success: Mayor of Rossendale's award, L Parkinson; Medex award, A Rowland; National Westminster Bank award, J Brook; Kingfisher Group award, P Sharp; JB Broadley award, J Payne; Bacup Shoe Company awards, J Edwards, G Fletcher, B Harrison; School merit awards, D Calter, J Jackson, L Tyson.

Footwear Industry awards for art and design, L Bell, P Black, T Benson-Brown, D Calter; Lloyds TSB award for business studies, S Baird, J De'ath; Perplas awards for design and technology, R Chan, K Kent, M Nuttall; Fearns Community High School award for drama, H Rainbird; Auto Cross Plastics award for English, A Rowland; Jessie Hargreaves award for English literature, L Parkinson.

Footwear Industry award for food technology, S Baird, J Payne; George Bristow award for fieldwork in geography, G Fletcher; Footwear Industry awards for humanities, J Brook, A Rowland, L Tyson; NCS Support Services Ltd award for information studies, B Harrison. Alan Taylor award for maths, R Chan, C Doidge; Lambert Howarth awards for modern languages, J Brook, B Harrison; Jessie Hargreaves Memorial award for music, V Pitt, P Sharp; Reg Barnes award for science, L Parkinson.

Brian Smith award for interest and endeavour in science, J Brown; Eric Varley award for industry, L Dundas; Alan Duckworth Sports Person of the Year award, G Fletcher, J Jackson; Howarth Packaging award for endeavour, R Evans, D Usher.

Neal Nuttall award for endeavour, R Baron; Robert Barnes award for progress, P Black, C Kelshaw; Fearns Community High School special awards for achievement: L Edwards, D Ireland, P Johnson, K Kent, A Rothwell, L Tyson, M Wilcock, C Kelshaw.