A BURNLEY high school's successful links with businesses will be showcased at a major conference organised by the University of Warwick.

At the annual prize evening at Burnley Mechanics, head teacher of Ivy Bank High School Stephen Ball, thanked the many businesses that support the school, saying: "Ivy Bank is at the centre of a unique partnership with local companies."

He also praised the leavers' achievements, singling out their GCSE exam performance, which was the best in the school's history and far in excess of county's predictions.

The exam pass rates at the school have doubled in the last five years, contributing to what Mr Ball described as an "extraordinary year in the life of an extraordinary school."

He said: "During the last 12 months the school has provided its students with a range of extra-curricular activities that would be the envy of students elsewhere. The most exciting of these was IBFM, the school's own radio station, which first took to the airwaves in May. It is believed that it was the first time that any school in the UK has run its own commercial radio station and the students' efforts were rewarded with an estimated audience of 30,000 people." Ivy Bank has featured twice on local radio, once on regional TV and 50 students from year seven took part in a children's programme broadcast on BBC1.

Facilities in the school have been developed, with additional resources being found for information technology and governors spending £10,000 on redeveloping the school library and £90,000 was raised for a floodlit multisport facility.

Mr Ball concluded: "Many people would see one single year as a very short period in the life of a school and expect little to be achieved in just 12 months.

"However, tremendous things are possible, especially when that school is as lively and well-supported, innovative and forward-looking as Ivy Bank."

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