'BE who you are, be who you want to be, be the best you can be' was the overriding message from the head teacher of Furness secondary school to pupils at its annual awards evening.

Academic, sporting and extracurricular successes were celebrated in front of pupils, parents and teachers at Dowdales School in Dalton.

More than 200 high achievers from all years received certificates and trophies.

Head Julie O'Connor told those gathered: "Once a Dowdalian, always a Dowdalian.

"It’s a phrase that sums up the values that we share as members of the Dowdales School community – whatever our role or position. The values of loyalty, respecting tradition, care and support, as well as high standards and academic excellence.

"These are the shared values that define our school ethos and make our school the very special place that it is. They translate into our school strapline – our motto – ‘Be The Best That You Can Be’ – each of us aiming to be the best that we can be in all that we do."

Congratulations were made to students who sat their GCSE examinations in the summer.

Julie explained 65 per cent of pupils achieve the new ‘Standard’ Pass, with 45 per cent achieving the new ‘Strong’ Pass and 21 per ent of all grades being at the highest 7–9 new grades.

Pupils gave talks on, amongst many other topics, the importance of Maths, partnerships with BAE Systems and GEN2 in Ulverston and an invite to present at the international Science on Stage conference in Hungary.

Mentions were also made of the school production of Billy Elliot, which had a cast of 108, the performance of 60 students at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone and the World Challenge Expedition to Malaysia

Guest speaker John Macilwraith, corporate director of Children and Families Services at Cumbria County Council, gave an inspiring speech about community and achievement.

There were also performances from the Dowdales Shakespeare, Dowdales Singers, Boys Dancers, DYD dancers and a special performance of Billy Elliot The Musical.

"The ceremonies were a huge success and I would like to thank each and every student and staff member for the part you played in making prizegiving such a fantastic day for everyone," added Julie.