Durrington High School celebrates the Class of 2019

There were prizes for the 20 students who achieved the highest GCSE grades and a further 20 winners, selected by the subject teachers, for make the most effort and achieving the most progress.

Deputy head John Fuller said it had been a fantastic year group, ‘a wonderful example for the younger students to look up to’.

Three special awards were presented in honour of the late teachers Darren Fox and Martyn Symonds, and student Sam Bassett, who died in 2012.

Caitlin Campbell won the Darren Fox Award for science, Emily Locker and Lily Moore won the Martyn Symonds Award for geography and Spencer Owen won the Sam Bassett Award for drama.

Spencer also won the Outstanding Contribution to School Award, recognising the exceptional contribution he made to the school over four years, particularly in sport and drama.

Former student Charlie Donnelly, now a successful West End performer, returned to give an inspirational speech.

She encouraged the students to follow their instincts and passions, as she had done when deciding to change course at college to train to become a dance teacher.

To end the evening, former head students Leonnie Natala and Marcus Foxwell took to the stage to speak about their many happy memories and thank the staff for their support.