PEOPLE who have neither enthusiasm nor responsibility for what they do are a danger to everyone.

That was the warning from Philips High School headteacher Mr Chris Trees.

He was speaking at the Whitefield school's annual prize-giving evening, held this year at the Elizabethan Suite in Bury because the school hall is being refurbished.

He highlighted two key words "enthusiasm" and "responsibility" throughout his speech and stressed how important it was for pupils to demonstrate both.

He went on: "The feckless, the lazy, the irresponsible and the unenthusiastic will bark about their rights and refuse to accept their responsibilities until we have a society that that looks inwardly, selfishly at itself and there lies the seeds of failure. "That failure will be yours and I do not wish that for you. I wish you every success. I want you to have success."

Mr Trees added that he hoped his pupils would continue with the enthusiasm and responsibility that so many of them had shown while at Philips High and that they would fulfil their their potential to become fully rounded, responsible citizens .

At a ceremony attended by special guests, former pupils, parents and governors, Mr Trees congratulated the students on their examination success and stated that "all pupils got more or less what they deserved" after they became suddenly very focused, very positive and determined to do well.

"That you did so with a substantial number of pupils gaining a remarkable number of A and A* grades, while at other levels pupils also excelled themselves, is to be greatly commended," enthused Mr Trees.

And as "examination success is not everything" Mr Trees also praised the achievements of pupils throughout the year.

He said that the year group was the first in the school to be formally trained as prefects and expressed how proud he was when the school provided the first set of young musicians from any school to perform on stage at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, at a press conference, with the bulk of the musicians taken from the leaving year group.

Mr Trees also commended the school's sporting achievements in basketball, soccer, hockey and athletics.

He said: "All in all you have helped maintain the progress and the success of the school in a number of crucial areas, which you have contributed to with great enthusiasm."