SCHOOL leavers at West Craven High Technology College were praised for their “stunning” GCSE results in a prizegiving ceremony.

Headteacher Arnold Kuchartschuk said goodbye to the academic year that produced the best GCSE results in the Barnoldswick school’s history.

He said: “In my speech to them, I asked them how they thought I’d describe them.

“Were they a Rolls Royce school year? Were they a Porsche school year? In the end, I could only describe them as a spitfire — the determination they have shown to push forward and achieve the best they can has really embodied the spirit of the spitfire.”

A number of academic awards were given out during the course of the evening on Thursday.