A FURNESS school which was in special measures three years ago has broken its performance records yet again.

And now Ulverston Victoria High School’s sixth form is ranked among the highest in the country, headteacher Denis Fay announced at the awards-giving and presentation night.

The school was ranked in the top 10 per cent of sixth forms in the country according to a grading from ALPs (Advanced Level Performance Systems) on A Level results. Parents and pupils learnt that a record 160 pupils joined the sixth form last September.

The number of GCSE students who achieved five or more A* to C grades, including maths and English, this year was 65 per cent, four per cent higher than the school’s original target.

Every student left Year 11 with at least five GCSEs at grade G or above, while a quarter of pupils gained a grade A or A*.

More than 75 pupils from the school represented Cumbria in a range of sports last year. The school’s orienteering team represents England and last year competed in New Zealand, while the under-15 boys’ tennis team were crowned county champions “There were some fantastic performances in both academic and vocational fields,” said Mr Fay in his speech. “The staff, the parents and the pupils have made fantastic efforts to continue the school’s improvement journey and the school has made amazing progress over the last few years.”

Meanwhile, prize winners on the presentation night included Scott Houston who won the Herbert William Cousins Memorial Prize for highest academic success achieved by a boy after scooping the Senior Mathematics Prize and Senior Physics Prize. Alexandra Fairer won the girls’ equivalent - the GF Longbotham Memorial Prize - for highest academic success achieved by a girl.

Samuel Wood won three awards - the Peter Hague & George Bradshaw Forrest Memorial History Prize, the Capt GL Annett Memorial Prize for Religious Studies and The John Sheldon Cuthbert Prize for senior head boy Jack Perry was presented with the GCSE prize for history and received full colours in athletics, cross country and orienteering.

Kim Little was given full colours in five sports - athletics, cross country, netball, rounders and hockey - while Daniel Craig received full colours in tennis, football, athletics and cross country and a half colour in rugby.

Ulverston Victoria High School Special Awards Year 11. Jefferson Cup for Courage: Lee Benn. School prize, best overall performance: Megan Brown. Alford Cup (joint award), most progress on musical instrument, sponsored by Band Service of HM Royal Marines: Josh Casali-Bell Linnemann, Jessica Wren. Edna Callanan prize, contribution to life of school: Nathan Evans. Special progress: Daniel Livesey. Basil Weston memorial prize, performance in GCSE: Jack Perry. School progress prize. Girls: Meg Procter. Boys: Christopher Snaith. Year 12. Joe Harrison award, sporting excellence: Claire Hutchinson. Deyanne Gifford special prize, service to school: Molly Thompson. Year 13. Mysterious Ulverston curry club prize, service to school: Jemma Bell. UVHS sixth form endeavour award: Stephanie Blain. Mary Scott Sheldon Cuthbert prize, senior head girl: Hazel Bremner. Highest academic success. Girl, GF Longbottom memorial prize: Alexandra Fairer. Boy, Herbert William Cousins memorial prize: Scott Houston. John Sheldon Cuthbert prize, senior head boy: Samuel Wood.

School prizes Year 11. Half colours, rugby, football: Dale Ainsworth,Samuell Alty. Colours, athletics, rugby and half colours, cross country: Daryl Ashburner. Colours, rugby, football, athletics: Sam Atkinson. Colours, orienteering: Megan Beard. BTEC diploma, health and social care prize: Ethen Bell. Half colours, football: Lee Benn. Colours, football: Alex Bennett. PTFA music prize and colours, cross country, orienteering, athletics: Julia Bing. Colours, football, rugby, athletics: Jaroslaw Bitner. ICT and colours, netball: Sally Bleasdale. GCSE prize, English Literature and Religious Studies, half colours rugby: Mark Borthwick. GCSE prize, Geography and colours, orienteering: Kathryn Brown. GCSE prize, German: Megan Brown. Colours, football: Samuel Cahalin. GCSE prize, English Language: Ross Callow. Colours, athletics: Josh Casali-Bell Linnemann. Identity prize, textiles and colours, swimming, orienteering: Jessica Courtman. Colours, football: Craig Coward, Alex Cowperthwaite. Colours, tennis, football, athletics, cross country and half colours, rugby: Daniel Craig. Colours, rugby: Ben Croasdale. Colours, rugby: Ahmed Dawood. Colours, football: Matthew Dent. GCSE prize, co-ordinated science: Felicity Dobson. Colours, orienteering: Luke Douglas. Colours, football, cross country: Thomas Douglas. Colours, netball, rounders: Ruby Egerton. GCSE prize, high achievement in mathematics and Richard Piper Rotary Club of Ulverston award for music and colours, orienteering, rounders: Amelia Elliott. Colours, rounders, athletics: Charlotte Elson. GCSE prize, most improved in mathematics and vocational studies BTEC prize: Nathan Evans. Richard Piper Rotary Club of Ulverston award for physical education: Samuel Evans. Colours, orienteering: Daisy Ford. GCSE prize, design and technology, resistant materials: Ethan Ford. GCSE prize, business studies: Andrew Gallacher. Colours, football, rugby, athletics: Jack Gardner. Colours, tennis, football: Jack Goddard. Colours, athletics and half colours, rugby: Martin Hartley. Identity prize for GCSE sport and colours, athletics, cross country: Jennifer Huck. Colours, rugby: Kyle Humphreys. Ogden Trust young physicist of the year: Emma Johnston. Colours, football: Sarah Lewis. Colours, athletics, cross country, netball, rounders, hockey: Kim Little. Asdan youth award: Daniel Livesey. Colours, football: Matthew Maginn. Colours, cricket, rounders, athletics, football: Laura Marshall (11.6). Dancing Times award: Laura Marshall. Colours, orienteering, football: Nathan Metcalfe. Colours, rugby and half colours, football: Joe Miller. Colours, rugby: Matthew Miller. GCSE prize, design and technology, electronic products: Tommy Moore. GCSE prize, French: Olivia Morrill. Drama: Lucy Moses. Colours, orienteering, football, athletics: Max O’Hara. Richard Piper Rotary Club of Ulverston award for mathematics: Bartholomew Parka. GCSE prize, history and Jubilee essay award and colours, athletics, cross country, orienteering: Jack Perry. Colours, athletics, cross country: Connie Postlethwaite, Grace Postlethwaite. GCSE prize, catering and colours, rounders, netball: Elizabeth Reid. Colours, football: Lauren Sandham. Colours, rugby, football: Liam Saunders. Colours, rounders, athletics, football: Natalie Saunders. Colours, rugby, athletics:Lewis Seeds, Jake Sharp. Colours, athletics: Lori-Jo Sharp. GCSE prize, art and health and social care (double award): Stephanie Simpson. Colours, rugby, athletics: Christopher Snaith. Colours, rugby: Jordan Spencer. GCSE prize, design and technology, food: Emily Tallontire. Colours, football: Jonathon Todd. Colours, athletics, cross country, football, rugby: Thomas Walmsley. Colours, athletics, football and half colours, rugby: Aaron Webster. Identity prize for GCSE design and technology, graphic products: Jack Webster. Colours, football: Jacob White. Colours, rugby: Jonathan Wilkinson, Mark Wilkinson. Colours, football: Daniel Woodburn. Richard Piper Rotary Club of Ulverston award for English and colours, athletics: Jamie Wylie.

Year 12. Senior French: Diane Atkinson. Senior Geography: Claudia Bland. AS design technology, resistant materials: Simon Collins. Mrs Cleave’s prize, English literature: Charlotte Dewhirst. Senior drama: James Farrow. Nuffield science bursary and Gold crest award: Holly Furness. Senior graphics design: Claire Hutchinson. Senior ICT: Joshua Jenkinson. Creative writing: Jo Lavender. Senior chemistry and biology: Duncan Littlechild. Senior further mathematics: Martin McIver. Tinker memorial, art: Sophie McKenna. Senior business studies: David Miller. Senior law: Sean Mooney. Senior sociology: Hannah Pennington. Fell memorial, history: Michael Raymond. Senior philosophy: Saffron Shirreffs. Senior mathematics and physics: Joe Taylor. Senior Religious studies: Molly Thompson. Senior phychology: Jordan Troup. Senior music: Matthew Wells. Senior English language and textiles: Ellie Wilson. Senior German: Ellen Woods.

Year 13. Edith Higham memorial prize, girls PE and Compass point prize, services to orienteering: Jemma Bell. Thomas Ormandy memorial prize, French: Stephanie Blain. Poole Townsend prize, advanced business: Claire Braithwaite. Senior graphic design: Nico Buck. UHVS ensemble: Guy Carr. Senior textiles: Catherine Courtman. UHVS swing band: Charlotte Davis. Johnston Oliver memorial, chemistry: Sarah Dawood. Age Concern Ulverston, advanced health and social care: Eleanor Dixon. A-level Law: Diana El-Demerdash. PTFA senior music: Edward Elliott. Miss E Glass memorial prize, German: Rosie Giddings. Senior mathematics and physics: Scott Houston. A-level resistant materials: Michael Hudson. Lindsay Pine memorial prize, services to music: Faye Lewis. George Atkinson memorial prize, English literature: Eleanor Lund. Senior Geography and Compass point orienteering: Rebecca McKenny. Robert Porter memorial prize, senior boys PE: Philip Metcalfe. English Language and Psychology: Laura Moses. Senior biology: Michelle Peters. UHVS ensemble: Michael Sherwen. Leslie Fee memorial prize, drama: Rachael Simpson. Wind band: Esther Tarr. Further mathematics: Mark Todkill. JW & B Hewitt memorial prize, art: Thomas Walker. Senior sociology: Charlotte Watts. John Davidson, history: Ellie Wharton. Peter Hague & George Bradshaw Forrest memorial prize, history and Capt GL Annett memorial prize, Religious studies: Samuel Wood.