STUDENTS and staff at St John's RC Comprehensive School, in Bishop Auckland, have celebrated their best exam results with an awards ceremony.

Pupils achieved a 97 per cent pass rate with almost 62 per cent of pupils gaining five or more GCSE passes at A* to C grades.

Last week the school held a presentation night for all GCSE students, with special honours for outstanding achievements in each subject.

Headteacher Gerard Moran said: "The event recognised the efforts of parents and families, primary schools, governors, parishes and the LEA in supporting the work of staff and most importantly the students themselves in achieving these wonderful results."

Award recipients: Subject awards - Emma Collinson, Korn Wong-Ai (English); Kate Oliver, Ashley Robinson (French); Matthew Dawson, Denise Cassidy (geography); Natasha Francis, Daniel Hill (leisure and tourism); Nicola Durkin, Bethany Carr (drama); Georgette Reid, Steven Bowes (PE); Caroline Holliday, Marc Costello (maths); Nicola Cameron, Catherine Brennan (German); Nicola Cameron, Robert Bowron (science); Natalie Nirkwood, Simone Campbell (RE); Hayley Sullivan, Peter Dixon (history); Steven Denton (BACS); Rachel Bainbridge, Catherine Price (art); Rachel Todd (music); Natasha Francis, Robert Bowron (ICT); Simone Campbell, lauren Smith (business studies)

Technology award winners - Kelly Dawson (food); Emma Gregg (health and social care); Caroline Holliday (textiles); Hemish Dissanayake (graphics); Korn Wong-Ai (manufacturing); Amy Hartnell (resistant materials)

The following pupils received outstanding awards: Emma Collinson, Danielle Graydon, Kathryn Waine, Nicola Cameron, Peter Dixon, Simone Campbell, Laura Brock

Achievement awards went to the following GCSE students - Stephen Alderson, Aaron Armstrong, Michael Bage, Phillip Brazier, Bethany Carr, Denise Cassidy, Jade Cooper, Marc Costello, Kelly Dawson, Hemish Dissanayake, Ryan Fairley, Laura Giblin, Dean Hindmarch, Lesley Johnson, Louise Johnson, Natalie Kirkwood, Kirsty Latcham, Karl Lee, Lucy Metcalf, Kirsty Nichol, Kate O'connor, Daniel Oliver, Billy-Jo Railton, Ashley Robinson, Rory Stuart, Hayley Sullivan, Lee Willis, Helen Atkinson, Catherine Bell, Steven Bowes, Lynsey Burn, Theresa Clarey, Michelle Compton, Peter Dixon, Katherine Douthwaite, Christopher English, Natasha Francis, Michael Gowland, Kayleigh Hodgson, Adrian Holden, Rachel Hughes, Richard Macnair, Ashley Miller, Lee Montgomery, Kyley Palmer, Simon Parrott, Michael Patterson, Catherine Price, Peter Robinson.

Claire Taylor, Laura Thrower, Rachel Todd, Mark Turner, Rachel Blair, Carl Boon, Jack Braley, Leanne Brown, Nicola Cameron, Stephanie Cooke, Andrew Costello, Rachel Elshob, Jennifer Gabriele, Martin Goddard, Lyn Greenwood, Joanne Halladay, martin Irwin, Kayley Johnson, Stuart Kelly, Katie Morland, Jillian Mudie, Anthony Peacock, Ian Redfearn, Stacy Robson.

Claire Bagley, Marc Bell, Robert Bowron, Victoria Burn, Natalie Clinton, Matthew Dawson, Nicola Durkin, Max Fairless, Thomas Forsyth, Danielle Garydon, Caroline Holliday, Charlotte Holmes, Matyn Hull, Claire Longley, Stacey Longstaff, Natalie Machan, Emma Marklew, Kate Marshall, Julie-Anne Miller, Nathan Parry, John Patterson, Stephen Potts, Michael Raine, Michael Roe, Aimee-Louise Rowland, Rebecca Wake, William Walker.

Michelle Agar, Ashley Alderson, Danielle Archer, Liam Armstrong, Kane Ryland Banner, Matthew Brabban, Catherine Brennan, Nichola Gaines, Nadine Goodchild, Daniel Hancock, Liam Hannan, Samantha Harnett, Angela Harrison, Amy hartnell, Daniel Hill, Clare Johnson, Damian Kandiah, Angela Kelly, Sarah Laidler, Shaun Merchant, James Musgrave, Andrew Newby, Simon Pickford, Sheena Sharma, Michael Sneath, Kelly Turnbull, Georgette Ward.

Helen Aspinall, David Bainbridge, Rachel Bainbridge, Hollie Brown, Simone Campbell, Dylan Cartwright, Jennie Clayton, Luke Crossen, Steven Denton, Melissa Downey, Andrew Dowson, Emma Gregg, Sarah Hodges, Christopher Jefferson, Michael Kelly, Dean Macdonald, Amy Metcalfe, Katie Oliver, David O'Sullivan, Georgette Reid, Emily Surtees, Amy Taylor, Kathryn Waine, Karl Ward, Louise Watson, John Winstanley.

Natalie Bellamy, Laura Brock, Sean Colling, Emma Colinson, Michael Dobson, Sukvinder Ghuman, Jonathan Greenwood, Mark Howe, Sarah Hummerston, Amii Hutchinson, David Jackson, Rachel Jones, Amy Lowes, Arran Miller, Liam Moffat, Elizabeth Neasham, Joseph Robson, Mary Rudd, Katherine Ryan, Gemma Taylor, Terry-Marie Turner, Emma Watson, Andrew Welsh, Christopher Wilkin, Keighley Willey.