THE headteacher of Norden High School and Sports College celebrated a successful year which was marked by record GCSE results.

Headteacher of the Rishton school, Bob Flood, said: “It is an exciting time for young people who leave school; the opportunities and challenges that they have.

“It is only after students have left that they often appreciate the opportunities that were provided for them within school.

“I am proud to be the headteacher of Norden.

“As a specialist sports college we offer many opportunities for our students to be involved in activities outside normal school hours.

“I am pleased with the number of students who have taken up these oppor-tunities, whether they are related to sport or educa-tional visits or other forms of clubs and societies.”

Mr Flood said education was the springboard for success.

He said: “The challenges faced by the young are possibly greater now than they have ever been in the past.

“Competition from over-seas, new people arriving in the country and changing job patterns all mean that youngsters who leave our school today need to have the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in our rapidly changing world.

“As a school we place the greatest emphasis on developing the skills that young people need.

“In particular, we want to ensure that our youngsters leave with skills in English and Mathematics in order to give them the best chance in further education or in finding employment.

“At Norden, the develop-ment of these skills is the key.”

PRIZEWINNERS

Aim Higher: Duncan Whittaker and Rachel Clough
Art: Melissa Addison
Child Development: Melissa Dobson
English Language: Duncan Whittaker
English Literature: Isabel Swan
French: Daniel Morey
Food Technology: Matthew Shepherd
Geography: Marc Etherington
Graphic Products: Rachel Greenwood
History: Zeshan Amin
ICT: Ashley Hacking
Law: Marc Etherington
Mathematics: Melissa Dobson
RE: Paige Thorpe
Resistant Materials: Katie Edwards
SEN Support: Shoaib Javed
Science: Jonathan Whiteside
Spanish: Isabel Swan
Textiles: Aleesa Hussain
Sportsman of the Year: Ian Yates
Sportswoman of the Year: Lauren Hindle
Excellent Progress: Melissa Dobson
Endeavour: Lauren Hindle
Matthew Smith Memorial Cup: Jonathan Whiteside
Ian Kitchin Trophy: Marc Etherington
Allan Critchlow Trophy: Melissa Addison
Roger Chippendale Shield: Isabel Swan