ITN reporter Shiulie Ghosh returned to her old school on Monday to present prizes at the annual speech day.

Miss Ghosh left Teesside High School for girls in Eaglescliffe in 1992 after taking her A-levels and began a career in broadcasting immediately after university.

She received a warm welcome from the pupils and headmistress Mrs Hilary French who confirmed the school's commitment to single sex education.

"Our school achieved the highest results of any school in the Cleveland region which is a testament to the success of our methods," she said.

"Girls simply do better in single sex schools, and are outperforming boys in similar types of school."

Mrs French said the time for co-education was at university, when girls were ready to enter a new world on equal terms.

"Socially boys and girls mature at different rates. Here at Teesside and at any girl's school where the emphasis in the classroom is on work, there is less pressure to adopt a particular role or style for the benefit of male peers.

"All young people need to enjoy a social life and good relationship, but in school the focus should be on intellectual, personal and social development.".

Mrs French praised the pupils, staff and parents for their hard work which led to the school getting the best A-level and GCSE results in the Cleveland region.

She was highly critical of the revised route to A level through AS.

The new examinations were introduced too quickly with inadequate preparation and resources.

"The so-called modifications intended to improve them are merely cosmetic and fairly tawdry at that," she said.

Unless carefully managed, the new system would put enormous pressure on pupils who would be faced with exams and coursework from early in Year 10 to the end of Year 13.

But it was important that there were no further changes so that teachers and pupils could adjust to the system.

"We have to make the current, unsatisfactory system work," said Mrs French.

She thanked the parent teachers association and all of those involved in fundraising which had allowed many improvements to be made throughout the year.

In conclusion Mrs French said she was privileged and honoured to be headmistress.

"We have a new prospectus, we will have a new uniform and have introduced, at the request of the girls, a Sixth Form uniform. In short, we have a new image," she said.

"We are proud of ourselves and I am enormously proud of every single member of this community."