THE top students at a comprehensive school had their achievements acknowledged at a prize-giving ceremony.

The students, from Teesdale Comprehensive School, Barnard Castle, heard a speech from the region's top high-altitude mountaineer Alan Hinkes at the ceremony.

Among those who received prizes on Thursday were former sixth-formers Madeleine Best and George Hashagen, who were awarded the Mewhort and Bainbridge university scholarships for their high A-level grades.

Fifteen year-old Hayley Bickley was given the Barnard Castle Rotary Special Prize for outstanding work in the community. The award was made for her help with the Barnard Castle Meet committee.

Headteacher Paul Harrison said: "It has been a very good year for exam results - both A-levels and GCSEs. In fact, it has been the best ever results for GCSEs.

"As usual, it is a pleasure to be able to reward not just achievement, but also effort and out-of-school activities."

Award winners were:

Special prizes: Amy Evans (Cleugh Wilson Trophy for most improved year seven), Rebecca Brunell (HJ Banks prize for lower school art), Robert Fell (Ian Gamble Trophy for football), Andrew Gill (technology), Hayley Bickley (Barnard Castle Rotary Special Prize for outstanding work in the community), Bevan Clegg (PE), Daniel Watters (Bretnall Prize for Foreign Languages).

Year seven achievement: Bethany Day-Preston, Philip Watson, Kristina Wilson-Fisher, Sophie Cowley, Claire Wilkinson. Year seven effort: Richard Rutter (Triple C prize for Co-operation, Courtesy and Citizenship), Sophie Betton, Michael Bedwell, Rachael Allinson, Verity Watson.

Year eight achievement: Ruth Simpson, William Metcalfe, Nichola Wilkes, Jenny Bainbridge, Barry Cooper, Joe Mercer. Year eight effort: Christopher Greaves, Thomas Richardson, Craig Heslop, Gregory Jagger, Shane Mullery, Philip Gibson.

Year nine achievement: Samuel Johns, Kelly McGarr, Mitchell Greener, Iain Carmichael, Kathryn Ipsen, Mark Hodgson. Year nine effort: Rebecca Profitt, Rebecca Vafeas, Robert Small, Rachael Lawer, Laura Philp, Kane Mitchell.

Year ten achievement: Helen Corner (Nichola Courtly Prize for Music), Rosalind Thomson, Helen Greaves, Iona Carmichael, Eleanor Wilson. Year ten effort: Angela Oates, Jennifer Cartwright, James Hedley, Jessica Tarn, Hannah Walton.

GCSE achievement: Arthur Carrington, Amy Docherty, Hannah Stephenson (effort), James Roberts, Julie Wallace (effort), Jessica Cole, Sarah Teasdale, Rebecca Turner (effort), Emma Roberts, Suzannah Crowe, Margaret Simpson, Mark Herbert, Joanne Meads (effort), Darren Small, Amy Tarn, James Murdoch, Jodie Tatchley, Kevin Cooper (most personal development), Katy Bestford, Thomas Robinson, Jacqueline Scott, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Teward, Rupert Philbrick, Jessica Tallentire, Fiona Williams, Helen Walton, Joshua Bradley, Jordan Nutter, Laura Hunter, Leo Applegarth, Sophie Dedman, Clare Bayles, Jonathan Stamp.

Prizes for 2002/3 Year 11: Todd Kellett (effort), Helen Maude (effort).

A-Level achievement: Gary Andrews, Andrew Ashworth, Alex Baker (DB Mounter Prize for Science and Harry Gill Memorial Trophy for Young Musician of the Year), Josephine Ball, Amy Ball, Suzanne Beere, Andrew Bellew, Madeleine Best (economics/business studies and Mewhort Scholarship), Jenny Brandham, Alex Christon (Barnard Castle Rotary Prize for geography), Hollie Coyle, Nathan Coyle, Mark Dolan, Joanne Errington, Laura Evans, Jonathan Foster, Verity Gosling, James Hare (JP Robson Prize for chemistry and Bainbridge Scholarship), Laura Heaviside (performing arts and Barnard Castle Rotary Prize for Teesdale service), Rebecca Hill, Helen Holmes, Sarah Hunt, Emma Johnson (Barnard Castle Round Table Prize for English and RE).

Jillian Kearton, Jonathan Kellett, Ingrid Kneller, Terri Lamb (sociology), Sarah Long, Rachel Metcalfe, Emily Nixon, Sophie Pateman, Jennifer Pickworth, Susanna Rennie, Stephen Richards, Kirsty Richmond, Gemma Sewell, Andrew Smith, Kirsty Smith, Richard Smith, Richard Spooner (Barnard Castle Round Table Prize for biology).

Benedict Stamp, Claire Stoddart, Daniel Tallentire (PTA Prize for mathematics and PTA Prize for Physics), Rebecca Tarn (Barnard Castle Round Table Prize for history), Anna Tayler (psychology), Joanna Taylor (Research Machines Prize for information and communications technology), Natalie Wallis (VCE), Michelle Wilkinson, Robert Williams.

GNVQ Achievement: Cassandra Coatsworth (One year sixth work), Katy Doherty, Amy Slack, Heather Cotterill, Mellissa Paton.