More than 100 Year 11 graduate students at Springwood High School were joined by 280 relatives and friends in the school’s Peter Hopkins Hall for the event, which saw a host of certificates and prizes awarded.

All the students received their GCSE certificates, while there were an additional 36 subject awards, 20 Outstanding Attitude to Learning certificates, and 14 attendance certificates handed out, as well as six other special prizes.

These included Best Academic Results, which went to Mackenzie Whitehouse-Baker, Most Improved Student Over Key Stage 4, which went to Libby Coe, and Highest Attendance Over Five Years, which was won by 2022 head student Lexie Ampomah with an impressive 99% record.

Other high achievers recognised at the ceremony were Luke Graham, who won the Jessika-Mae Prior Shield for Inspirational Courage; Finley Meehan, who was awarded the Governors Plate for Service to the School; and Tony Sempuma Mbazi, who won the Pastoral Award.

Lexie and fellow 2022 head student Nathan Taylor commented: “It was a really great evening, and a nice way to celebrate an amazing five years.

“It was also great to say a big thanks to the teachers that helped get us here.”

The event, the first of its kind to take place since the pandemic, was led by Pete Cuss, Head of Year for the Class of 2022 and Assistant Head of Springwood, with help from present Year 11 head student Angelica Lee, Chair of Governors Roger Livesey, and Executive Headteacher Andy Johnson.

A musical prelude to the evening was provided by Matthew Hawkes, who is currently studying maths, biology and chemistry at Springwood Sixth Form, while the guest speaker was Springwood alumnus Alex Kendal, now a teacher, who gave an inspiring talk to the 2022 graduates.

Sally Ashfield, Deputy Headteacher at Springwood, said: “Taking time to publicly celebrate the achievements of our students and ensuring they know how proud of them we are at events like these is incredibly important.”

Mr Cuss added: “We are very proud of the Class of 2022. Despite the impact Covid had, and the disruption to the students’ education, they produced outstanding GCSE grades, which enabled them to move on to their first choice destinations – whether sixth form, college or apprenticeships.

“They were a fantastic cohort, and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours.”