SEVERAL South Lakeland schools recorded their best-ever GCSE results with many stories of outstanding individual achievement and of triumph in times of crisis.

Queen Katherine School in Kendal and Settlebeck High School in Sedbergh both celebrated record results, as did the Lakes School at Troutbeck.

Julia Gilchrist, head teacher at the Lakes School, which was placed under special measures earlier this year, said: "Everybody has pulled together and worked with such determination to prove that we are a good school which does get the best out of our young people."

Pupils at John Ruskin School, Coniston, were praised for pulling off top grades despite the foot-and-mouth crisis which struck the community during the crucial revision and exam period.

"It really gave me an insight into the strength of the school and the way that in times of adversity the pupils really pulled together to help one another," said head teacher Mike Major.

Three South Lakeland students at Lancaster Royal Grammar School gained a clean sweep of ten As and A*s, including two profoundly deaf pupils Christopher Watson of Ambleside and Michael Nixon of Windermere.

Ulverston Victoria High School pupil Corinne Berry, from Broughton-in-Furness, was partying hard yesterday after notching up an impressive 12 A* GCSEs.

"I was amazed because I didn't think I would get them," she told the Gazette.

Nationally, the gender gap between girls and boys appeared to be closing, and this was reflected in outstanding individual male successes at Kirkbie Kendal School and at Millom School.

Cumbria's successes mirrored the story of rising pass rates nationally.

This year the A* to C pass rate rose by 0.3 per cent to 57.1 per cent while the proportion of students achieving A* and A grades rose to 16.1 per cent.

Geraint Howell, chief insp-ector/advisor for Cumbria Educ-ation Service, said: "It looks as though 2001 is another good year for Cumbria's youngsters.

I am pleased to say that the results in most of the schools affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis seem to have held up well."

l Corrine Berry (right) who achieved 12 A* passes in her GCSEs.

(Steve Barber photo C1H15206)