STAFF at Accrington Academy congratulated pupils on their best-ever GCSE results.

During his opening speech, at the academy’s annual prizegiving night, principal Andrew O’Brien praised pup- ils for their hard work and commitment.

He said: “This summer saw our best-ever GCSE, AS-level and A-level results, and we wanted to bring together everyone who helped cont-ribute to this success.

“We are proud of each and every one of our students, and there are some out- standing personal triumphs to celebrate from the past year at the academy.

“At Accrington Academy we really push for the best in everyone. This awards evening truly demonstrates that this can be achieved,” he added.

The guest speaker, at the Queens Road West school, was local businessman Ilyas Khan, who is also chairman of Leonard Cheshire Disability, a British charity that supports, and cares, for disabled people.

Awards included:

  • Special recognition in art: Zeba Jahangir, Katarzyna Pekal, Sylvia Waddington
  • Special recognition for outstanding achievements: Year 11 - Pasha Baker, Ishrat Bashir, Laura French, Anna-Louise Gregson, Jack Hambley, Grace Hickson, Ben Jackson, Katarzyna Pekal, Sylvia Waddington; Year 12 - Brett Arbuary, Stephen O’Mara, Scarlett Parry, Hardeep Sidhu, Keely Watson; Year 13 -  Charlotte Britland, Emily Haire, Shafia Idris, Anisha Kausar, Elliot Neil.