A YEAR of excellence at a North Yorkshire school was celebrated at its annual awards evening.
Academic prizes, sporting awards and GCSE certificates were presented to the St Francis Xavier School’s leavers of 2015, by Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond.
The headteacher of the Richmond school, Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, praised students for the commitment shown during their final year and the staff and parents who had supported them.
This year’s GCSE results had been excellent, she said, with more than one third of students achieving 3 A or A* grades in the examinations. SFX remained among the top performing schools in the county.
“It is the people here who make this happen,” she added. “I am really proud of all the staff. They go the extra mile and are well supported by parents.”
Mr Sunak, in addressing the students, said it was his second visit to the school since being elected in May and he had been impressed by the behaviour and performance of the students.
He told students to be imaginative about their futures, to be creative and to trust their ideas and about the importance of parents in helping them achieve.
He concluded his address saying: “It is an honour to be here and to celebrate your success. I commend you all on your hard work.”
“But the best thing about the school is the tremendous sense of community you have. It starts with your Christian mission. Not just “Love of God, but also Love of Neighbour”.
“It is something that is not only widely understood, but also widely practiced here. We are blessed with strong communities in this part of North Yorkshire and SFX is no exception: a warm, supportive, tight-knit community.”