ATLANTIC challenger Ian Rowe, who shot to fame as one of the crew in the 2012 attempt to row from Morocco to the Caribbean, was the special guest at the Dyson Perrins CE Academy prize-giving evening.

As well as handing out the prizes at the event, Mr Rowe had spent much of the day at the school, giving inspirational presentations to two year groups, encouraging students during a house rowing competition and coaching a group of Year 7 students after school.

And at the prize-giving itself, Mr Rowe gave a special award at the end of the evening to the student who most captured his philosophy of ‘ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things’.

In his speech, head Stuart Wetson congratulated both staff and pupils for their achievements in a time of changes.

He said: “So much development and improvement work has been taking place here over recent months and tonight also affords me the opportunity to formally thank the staff who work here so tirelessly to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students – the commitment of the staff coupled with their resilience and expertise plays a large part in the achievements and successes we will hear about later on this evening.

“Understandably and justifiably our profession comes under close scrutiny, after all we are entrusted with a very important task. Expectations of what constitutes a good education in the classroom are rightly high and robustly monitored but in my first year of headship I have been blessed with a staff team who just keep coming back for more and who endeavour to make this school as good as it can be.”

Among the achievements he mentioned were the sporting successes of the Year 11 rugby team, musicians from the school taking part in the Armed Man concert at the Royal Albert Hall, the student-organised World War One centenary event in July and the annual Dyson’s Got Talent event.

“With this level of talent on offer at our school it is quite humbling to be the person with the job of leading Dyson Perrins, it is wonderful to see our ethos of ‘To Love to Learn’ become a reality – I am incredibly proud of what we collectively achieved last year, of our students and their individual successes, of the direction we are heading in and ultimately, very proud to be the headteacher of such a great school,” he said.

Foundation Prizes

C W Dyson Perrins Prize for Art: Charley Craske. Mrs Dyson Perrins Prize for Textiles: junior Connie Davis, senior Elisabeth Hayward. Father Cooke Memorial Prize for Religious Education: Sarah Maxfield-Phillips. Friends of Dyson Perrins Prize for outstanding contribution to the life of the school: Adam Lowe, Lucy Capener.

Subject Prizes

Art: Key Stage 3 Lucy Amos, Joshua Hughes. Key Stage 4 Nicole Lewis, Megan Tregellis.

ICT: Key Stage 3 Thomas Scott; Key Stage 4 Ethan Pardoe; Key Stage 5 Kieran Jancey-Conway.

Business studies: Key Stage 5 Emily James.

English: Key Stage 3 Hollie Gill, Thomas Scott; Key Stage 4 Leah Daly, Oban Elliott. Key Stage 5 Ben Jones. MacKinnon Prize for Poetry Russell Lodge.

Drama: Key Stage 4 Karli Burston, Luke Henney; Key Stage 5 Alex Lake.

Music: Janet Sweeney Award for Music Frances Green. Margaret Tarr Award for Music Rebecca Williams. Mark Scivier Music Technology Award Matthew Mulvale.

Geography: Key Stage 3 Connie Davis, Alliah Castor, Hollie Gill. Geography Award for GCSE Christie Hornby. Geography Award for A-level Georgina Avins.

History: Key Stage 3 Eleanor Neale, Arran Carr; Key Stage 4 Leah Daly. History Award William Davies.

Religious Education: Key Stage 3 Rebecca King, Thomas Bill; Key Stage 4 Georgia Rocke, Ben Jackson.

French: Key Stage 3 Paige Pollard, Pippa Hayes, Emily Gagen; Key Stage 4 Christie Hornby, Samuel Jones.

German: Key Stage 3 Zuzanna Suchorska, Reece Lewis; Key Stage 4 Gemma Scott, Alastair McDonald.

Spanish: Key Stage 3 Thomas Bill, Lucy Amos. Mayor of Malvern Award for Languages: Eden Haslam.

Mathematics: Key Stage 3 Thomas Bill, George Palmer; Key Stage 4 Leah Daly, Callum McDowie. Mrs Biggs Memorial Award for Mathematics: Rhiannon Lyon.

Dance: Junior Dance Award Freya Davis; Senior Dance Award Georgia McCollum.

Physical Education: Upson Award for Soccer Ryan Smith; Sandra Gregory Award for PE Chloe Williams; Michael Boswell Memorial Award for Basketball Owen Sanders; Michael Boswell Memorial Award for Running Hollie Somers; Burge Award for most outstanding sporting achievement Zachary Moore; Jury Award for service to school athletics Hollie Somers; Joanna Brown Award Callum Loader.

Science: Key Stage 3 Paige Pollard, Frances Green; John Dymock Memorial Rose Bowl for Science Leah Daly. Doreen Fray Memorial Award for Science Rhianna Purcocks, Vernon Jones Award for Science Daniel Blackmore.

Technology: Key Stage 3 Sophie Jackson, Ashley Collins; Sadie Copeland Award for Textiles Technology Charley Craske; D and C Award for outstanding achievement in Design and Technology Samuel Harcombe; C and D Award for excellence in Design and Technology Dominic Jolley; Marion Morris Award for Food Technology Molly Hughes; Child Development Award Molly Tregellis; Health and Social Care Award Esme Munslow; Steven Taylor Memorial Award Samuel Dockery.

Other cups and trophies

Library Shield Jemimah Fuller; Father Cooke Memorial Award for Progress Rebecca Green; Jeremy Cooper Memorial Cup for the student who has brought the most distinction to the school Georgia Rocke; Ian Rowe Award Tanith Lyon.

Sixth Form prizes: Best GCSE results Emma Witherford; GCSE achievement Leah Daly, Benjamin Capener, Georgia Rocke; GCSE progress Sarah Maxfield-Phillips; A level Rhys Griffths, Rebecca Green, Rhiannon Lyon, James Bryan; AS level Rhianna Purcocks, Alessandro Maggi, Kieran Green.

Progress prizes: Year 11 Jack Clifton, Molly Fuller, Megan Gilks, Nicole Lewis, Jack Muller, James Neale, William Page, Billie Townson, Jade Tyler, Lilia Withey; Year 10 Tom Brinkworth, Connie Davis, Kristian Edmondson, Callum Hunaban, Samuel King; Year 9 Isobel Brooks, Alyxandra Farmer, Eleanor King, Petrina Lodge, Harvey Patel.