A SCHOOL welcomed back former pupils to celebrate a successful year.

Our Lady and St John’s Catholic College in Blackburn celebrated with the returning Class of 2013 at a special presentation evening.

Former students saw the event held for the first time in the school’s new building at North Road.

As well as the celebration of the school’s most outstanding GCSE examination results, awards and certificates for individual subject area prizes were also announced.

All former Year 11 pupils were invited to attend to celebrate and share their success with their former peers and teachers.

The school looked back on an eventful year which saw a new school campus created as one of the final Building Schools for the Future projects in Blackburn.

The school also celebrated a record pass rate this summer with 85 per cent gaining five GCSEs at A*-C and 55 per cent gaining five A* - C grades including both English and maths.

In his speech, headteacher Keith Ballard said: “I would just like to pause for a few moments and reflect on the kind of college we set out be — the kind of college we have worked together to become; the kind of college that, under the guidance of your tutors last year, helped you to produce our best ever results at GCSE in our Jubilee Year.

“We hear a great deal about examination league tables, and we accept that examination grades are very important.

“However we also set out to help form your character. There are no A* grades for determination, integrity, leadership potential, kindness, common sense and creativity or for teaching you to show care and tolerance for others who see things differently to you.

“We tried to show you how to look after yourselves and then to look after each other, and we tried to do that through our example.”

THE AWARDS IN FULL 

SUBJECT AWARDS

Art Shareen Patel; Business Studies Mohammed Sidat; Catering Chloe Beaumont; Dance Lois Gillen-Mehmood; Drama Coral Webster; engineering Nabeela Desai; English Jennifer Lovick; French Kundai Chirenje; Geography Ella Gregory. History Jennifer Lovick; Health and social care Hashmi Hussein; ICT Luke Bury; Maths Billal Kheratkar; PE Roxanne Oliver; Product Design Paige Flannery; RE Shannon Briggs; Science Nadiyah Jogee; Spanish Samantha Garrity; Travel and Tourism Mollie Green; Atkinson Shield for Art Amy Forrest; The John Bamber Dance Shield Gabrielle Devine; Mathematical Endeavor Kamil Bak; Scientific Endeavor Bilal Kheratkar; Bernard Gilmartin Instrumental Shield; Declan Fox; Vocal Shield Summer Cottrell; Musical Compositon Emma Chester; Sportsman of the Year Ashton Whalley; Sportswoman of the Year Tonicha Moorby; Outstanding Contribution to OLSJ Football Mark Smith.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Overall Contribution To Year 11 Rheagan Mcavoy; Prize For Outstanding Gcse Results Nadiyah Jogee; Prize For Citizenship Chiara Baron; Blackburn Lions Award Amy Forrest; Knights Of St Columba Award For Progress Tailor Brown; Pastoral Learning Coaches Trophy Nadia Hayat; Christian Watkinson Memorial Trophy; Emily Toole Governors’ Prize For Head Girl; Gabrielle Devine Governors’ Prize For Head Boy Damian Murray.