A YEAR of improvement was celebrated at Bedale High School’s presentation evening.

The school recorded the best GCSE results for any non-selective secondary school in the local area. Ten students achieved more than 100 As and A*s between them and the school is in the top 20 per cent of all schools nationally for the progress students make.

Associate headteacher Sian Rees said the year had started with an Ofsted inspection which was a positive experience and confirmation that the school was improving, and that standards were rising.

And guest speaker Rishi Sunak, Tory MP for Richmond, praised the hard work of students and staff and the support provided by parents and governors.

He urged them when thinking of their futures to be imaginative about what they might do and not be afraid to pursue their ideas.

He cited the example of Google, Facebook and Apple – companies created by young people under the age of 24 with an idea which had transformed the world.

“It’s one of the most incredible testaments to what happens when young people trust their creativity,” he said.

“Not one of them could have done what they did without a good education, but that education couldn’t take them the whole way. To achieve what they did meant having the self-belief to challenge convention and believe in their ideas.”