THE achievements of pupils have been celebrated with an awards evening.

Carmel College held its annual presentation evening with Elizabeth Reid, chief executive of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust as guest of honour.

Ms Reid's career also included posts as director of education in Lothian, Edinburgh and Hackney and Deputy Provost of London Guildhall University.

She is also a board member of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the Learning and Skills Development Agency and the University of Arts London.

The event was attended by up to 300 parents, pupils, staff, governors and guests.

Headteacher James O'Neill praised the students for their dedication and emphasised that success such as theirs "is only gained through commitment and a clear focus on targets".

Carmel College achieved an 82 per cent of five A to C pass rate at GCSE and 99.4 per cent pass rate at advanced level this year.

College students are also involved in a wide range of activities outside the classroom including sport, music, drama and charity work.

Prizewinners - John Caden Cup, Liam Kelly; Most Improved Sixth Form Student, Thomas Oliver; The Religious Studies Award, Hannah Ramsey; Business Studies Prize, Thomas Connelly; The Curtis Office Furniture Prize For Outstanding Achievement In Art, Jillian Greenwood; Almit Science Award for Chemistry, Philip Jones; Almit Science Award for Physics, Thomas Oliver; Almit Science Award for Biology, Sophie-Jo Quick; ICT Award presented by NTL Business Solutions, Edwina Gill; Sport Studies Trophy, Luke Raine; Tees Valley In Business Award For Excellence In Technology, Richard Blaylock; A- Level Geography Prize, Dominic Wynne; The History Prize, Thomas Eldrington; Electronics Prize, Lisa Hall; Mathematics Prize, Thomas Oliver; English Language Prize, Amy Degnan; English Literature Prize, Hannah Ramsey; Psychology Prize, Rachel Bradley; Sociology Prize, Rachel Bradley; The James Corr Prize For Best A Level Results, Hannah Ramsey; Technocopy Prize For Best GCSE Results, Alice Kent, Abigail Atkinson, Sarah Bartram.