THE head teacher of Ulverston Victoria High School used the school’s annual speech day to celebrate its dramatic turn-around.

Speaking to an audience of pupils and teachers, Dennis Fay praised them for their part in the school’s outstanding grade from Ofsted, awarded just three years after it was placed in special measures.

But he said the school should not rest on its laurels and should now strive to be ‘beyond outstanding’.

Assistant head teacher Roger Cahalin said: “The message we wanted to put out at this year’s speech day was that this is not a school that is standing still. We’re not satisfied with outstanding - we want to go beyond that.”

Staff and pupils were also told about a letter written by Baroness Morgan of Huyton, head of Ofsted, to Mr Fay which said how impressed she had been with the school’s ‘remarkable journey of improvement’.

Guest speaker and leadership expert Neil Jurd also gave a motivational speech to pupils inspiring them with tales of his past career in the army.

“The school is a leadership success story. Everyone I asked attributed this turn around to the head teacher. That said, the other teachers I met were all very impressive, so Denis has clearly been well supported,” he said.

He also commented on the students’ behaviour praising them for being ‘confident and articulate.’ “I have no doubt that this now outstanding school will continue to improve, it seems to have real upwards momentum. And, as is so often the case, sucess is directly linked to energetic and able leadership,” he added.

The school’s sporting successes were also celebrated and a special mention was given to the Year 10 boys’ orienteering team who won a bronze medal in the World Schools championships in Italy.

Subject and sport prizes were awarded to pupils from each year group awith some of the top awards going to Daisy Ball, who won The Governors’ Award for Service to the School, Bethany Birkett picked up The School Award for Fortitude and Jasmine McKenna who received the Headteacher’s Prize for the Most Merits.

Year Nine pupil Nicole Costigan was also awarded the Dr Geoff Edwards MBE Award for a Gifted Scientist.

The current head boy Henry Moss and head girl Lydia Howard gave the audience a vote of thanks and the school’s Jazz Combo band performed to round off the event.

Awards Year 7: Music Progress Sophie Alexander; English Progress Nicole Athersmith; History Progress Lucy Ball; DT Achievement Mary Barron; English Achievement Dea Begaj; French Progress Luke Betty; Art Progress Ilona Bitner; Citizenship Progress Henry Bray; Geography Progress Zac Butcher-Hazlehurst; Boys Physical Education Achievement William Coles; BPE Achievement Jordan Davill; Drama Progress Bethany Fitchett; French Achievement Daisy Fletcher-Cooney; Music Achievement Emily Glass; Geography Achievement Michael Hall; Citizenship Achievement Lucy Helliwell; Art Achievement Stephen Herbert; Girls Physical Education Achievement Abigail Howie; ICT Progress Thomas James; Boys Physical Education Progress Brandon Jones; Girls Physical Education Progress Emily Lockhart; History Achievement Luke Martin; DT Foof and Textiles Progress Megan McCarron; BPE Progress Thomas Saunders; DT Progress Joe Stebbens; DT Food and Textiles Achievement Catherine Steur. Special prizes: Town Lands Trust Citizenship Cup Joe Stebbens; Dr Geoff Edwards MBE Award for Gifted Scientist Emily Glass.

Year 8: History Achievement Greet Anderson; Boys Physical Education Achievement Huw Barton; ICT Achievement Andrew Brockbank; DT Progress Cameron Carr; German Achievement Ben Cooper; Art Progress Rebecca Cronin; Mathematics Progress Bethany Crook; Science Progress Olivia Davidson; Citizenship Achievement Shauna Dawson; French Achievement Kristian De Vries; DT Achievement Daniel Egglestone; German Progress Chelsea Evans; English Achievement Jessika Gillam; History Progress Evie Lawrence; BPE Progress Megan Leech; Drama Progress Adam Lenartowicz; Drama Achievement Ben Lewis; Art Achievement Freya Long; Boys Physical Education Progress David Lowther; Music Progress Hannah Metcalfe; DT Food and Textiles Achievement Yasmin Osten; Girls Physical Education Achievement Hannah Roper; French Progress Ben Sawrey; DT Food and Textiles Progress Karl Scrogham; English Progress Jamie Simm; Girls Physical Education Progress Katalin Trevena; Citizenship Progress Hannah Tucker; Geography Progress Danea Wheatman. Special prizes: Town Lands Trust Citizenship Cup Sam Coulson; Dr Geoff Edwards MBE Award for Gifted Scientist Kristian De Vries.

Year 9: ICT Achievement Jennifer Atkinson; Science Achievement Tanya Atkinson; Music Progress Sam Baldwin; Citizenship Progress Daisy Ball; Boys Physical Education Achievement Adam Bartlett; DT Progress Ellie Barton; Citizenshop Achievement Georgia Bell; BPE Achievement Bethany Birkett; English Progress Patryk Blaszczyk; German Progress Sara Botosh; ICT Progress Rhys Brenton; Art Achievement Phoebe Burrow; Art Progress Simon Crowe; Science Progress Joseph Cuthbertson; French Progress Sophie Elwood; German Achievement Adam Fare; History Progress Alisha Hird; Girls Physical Education Achievement Lois jefferson; Key Skills Achievement Holly Lambert; DT Food and Textiles Achievement Lauren Millington; DT Food and Textiles Progress Oliver Mills; Geography Achievement Lorna Nunwick; Geography Progress Rhoda Presley; DT Achievement Jack Rhodes; Boys Physical Education Progress Mark Robinson; BPE Progress Esther Wade; Mathematics Progress David Wood. Special prizes: Town Lands Trust Citizenshop Cup Daisy Ball; Dr Geoff Edwards MBE Award for a Gifted Scientist Nicole Costigan.

Year 10: DT Electronic Products Progress Jonathan Allsopp; Vocational Studies Achievement Arron Andrews; Drama Progres Georgia Angus; Citizenship Achievement Alice Baker; Art Progress Ashleigh Barnes; Geography Achievement Rowan Barton; Business Studies Progress Kate Boughey; ICT Achievement Errin Brown; Citizenshop Progress Jamie Bryson; Science Progress Calum Cronin; DT Textiles Progress Stephanie Dent; Boys Physical Education Progress Callum Dixon; DT Graphics Achievement Emily Dorricott; DT Catering Achievement Rachel Dorricott; DT Catering Progress Callum Edwards; GCSE Health and Social Care Progress Eleanor Edwards; Music Progress Harry Evans; Art Achievement mia Foran; Music Achievement Beth Godfrey; BTec Health and Social Care Achievement Katie Hannigan; History Achievement Stephanie Hargreaves; BPE Achievement Lauren Harrison; GCSE Health and Social Care Achievement Sara Hewitt; Vocational Studies Progress Reuben High; ASDAN Achievement Stephanie Jones; DT Graphics Progress Kye Kolbe; German Progress Shona Lamb; Girls Physical Education Progress Sophie Lloyd; DT Resistant materials Achievement Fraser Minnican; French Progress Katie Mitchell; Business Studies Achievement Harry Musker; DT Resistant Materials Progress Andrew Myers; Girls Physical Education Achievement Natasha Osten; Mathematics Progress Callum Penny; English Progress James Porter; Geography Progress Robert Rankin; German Achievement Patrick Rigg; Boys Physical Education Achievement William Rigg; Drama Achievement Tom Rutter; BTec Health and Social Care Progress Victoria Shakespeare; Art Progress Matthew Tucker; ASDAN Progress Megan Ungor; DT Textiles Achievement Rosie Wicks. Special prizes: Town Lands Trust Citizenshop Cup Katie Hannigan; Dr Geoff Edwards MBE Award for a Gifted Scientist Lauren Harrison. Special Awards: The Governors’ Award for Service to the School Daisy Ball; The School Award for Fortitude Bethany Birkett; The headteacher’s prize for the most merits Jasmine McKenna.