Parents, students, staff and governors celebrated achievement and successes in style at The Bishops’ Blue Coat High School in Chester.

Under the theme ‘Out of this word’ the student-led event celebrated the many talents and accomplishments of the previous academic year at the Great Boughton high school.

Inspired by Major Tim Peake, Britain’s first European Space Agency astronaut, student leaders took to the brightly lit stage to recognise the endeavour, leadership and achievements of their peers.

Among the special awards, talented musician Evie Adams was presented with The Helen Struthers Award for Musical Excellence.

The Canon and Mrs JG White Awards, named after one of the school’s founding governors, went to Lateef Bawendi for religious studies and to Nathan Smith for history, while the Governors’ Award for Academic Excellence went to Ellie Allan for her GCSE achievement which was among the top performances nationally.

Also in the programme was a play written by students of the school - The Boy in the Yellow Trousers told the story of a young boy who is ‘different’. It unpicks messages around identity and image and how this can have an impact on self-esteem. The play was also performed to more than 250 primary school students to raise awareness of World Mental Health Day.

The guest speaker was a former student of the school, renowned musical director Matt Baker who is well known for his work with the city’s Theatre in the Quarter, Chester Mystery Plays, Handbags of Harmony and other cultural organisations.

In his speech he spoke of his fond memories of the school, highlighting his gratitude for his time there which had made such strong foundations for his life and work.

He said: “Success is a journey up a hill, into the sun. Sometimes it’s hard and a struggle. Sometimes it’s easy and you are walking downhill. But the journey is where you learn and improve.”