PRINCE Charles praised the quality of Ulverston Victoria High School’s (UVHS) English curriculum during a special reception at Clarence House.

Pupils and teachers were invited to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s personal residence in London to celebrate the school’s Programme Mark accreditation, awarded by the Prince’s Teaching Institute.

To earn the honour, UVHS demonstrated a ‘commitment to excellence’ in their English teaching through several extra-curricular activities, including the founding of a school newspaper — The Jotter — and organising their own literary festival.

English Language and Literature pupil and deputy editor of The Jotter, Laura Moses, 17, accompanied fellow pupil and UVHS literary festival poetry champion Ross Callow, 15 to the capital.

The pair delivered speeches at the event and spoke later with Prince Charles. Accompanying them was UVHS excellence in the classroom co-ordinator Tammy Nicholls.

“It was fantastic, and a brilliant experience for the children,” she said. “It was lovely because we were in the prince’s home, with all his personal photographs and possessions. The children were real shining lights, and great representatives of the school.”

Prince Charles talked to the children about what they were reading and studying at present.

He also discussed the Cumbria floods, during which UVHS was closed and became a rescue centre for seven families forced from their homes.

Ulverston Victoria is the only school in Cumbria to achieve the Prince’s Mark award, and was the only one outside London to be invited to Clarence House.