A PROFESSOR who failed to get into grammar school but is now an expert in school performance was guest speaker at Giggleswick School's speech day.

Professor Peter Tymms, director of CEM Centre at Durham University and former student of Giggleswick School, joined another Old Giggleswickian, David Stockdale, who has just retired as chairman of the governors after 10 years.

Mr Boult said of Prof Tymms, whose research centre at Durham has pioneered the use of value added data in assessing schools' academic performance: "Surely there is no better example of Giggleswick Value Added than his own career.

"At 11, most unfairly, he was labelled a failure, unable to get into a selective grammar school, so he came to Giggleswick. Here he set out on a glittering academic and sporting career which took him to Cambridge, to sporting blues and beyond and now he is a professor at the finest university in the North of England."

Of his second guest, Mr Boult added: "David Stockdale has been the most remarkable chairman of governors for the last 10 years.

"The sense of shock registered in the wide Giggleswick community at the announcement this week of his retirement from that office, is a tribute to the esteem in which he is held.

"His own vision of education was at the heart of our last strategic plan, a vision he shared with all the governors."

Mr Boult went on to outlinethe school's achievements.

He said: "Aside from the academic, school continues to have a commitment to develop character, to help improve self confidence.

"Our pupils are incredibly impressive ambassadors for the school at home and abroad and for themselves. I believe it is because they enjoy being here.

"It is fun to be at Giggleswick most of the time and they respect the privileges and opportunities Giggleswick and the staff here provide for them."

After the speech, Prof Tymms presented the prizes to the students.

Local prizewinners this year were: Year 9: Classics - Rosie Arnold; German - Fergus Voigt; Geography - Ruth Heaton; Biology and Music - Edward Bolger; Drama - Katie Brownhill; Junior Sport - Christopher Gemmell Year 10: English - Ben Bavington-Allen; Classics, Chemistry and Geography - Rebecca Barnes; Spanish - Tilly Sharp, Physics - Jackie Chan, Art - James Ferran; Design Graphic Products and ICT - Elliott Smith; Drama - Rufus Edmondson; Sport - Alexander Rieder Year 11: Spanish - Tiphanie Kitchen and Thomas Elliott; Russian - Victoria Offland; Mathematics - Victoria Offland and Alexander Ireton; Physics - Fraser Davies; Music - Victoria Offland; Home Economics - Elizabeth Holden; PE - Claire Lilley Lower Sixth: Classics - Alexandra Stamper and Tom Taylor-Parker; German and Chemistry - Jennifer Hill; History - Jessica Firth; Economics and Physics - Jack Davidson, Geography - Bryony Matthews; Design Technology - Christopher Thompson; Art - Michelle Green; PE - Thomas Cokell; ICT - Sarah Marsh.

Upper Sixth: Classics and French - Victoria Ferran; Spanish and Music - Abigail Calland; History - Shona Bruno; Business Studies - Charlotte Dean; Geography - Matthew Wright; Biology - William Davis; Design Technology - Emily Knight and Megan Darbyshire; Art - Abigail Hartley; Textiles - Emily Knight; Drama - Isabel Marshall; PE - Alice Lilley; ICT - Sarah Smith Open Prizes: Music - Spencer Moran; Partridge Art Prize, Simpson Craft Prize and Hyslop Geography Prize - Christopher Heap; Farley Cup for Cricket - Teddy Stamper; Peacock Memorial Prize (General Merit) - Alice Lilley and Richard Offland; Old Giggleswickian Club Prize - Edie Edmondson and Richard Hall; Sutcliffe Memorial (Achievement in CCF Army Section) - Henry Bullough, Silver Kukri Triphy (Achievement in CCF RM Section) - Christopher Thompson; Style Memorial Prize (High Endeavour) - Victoria Ferran; Headmaster's Prize - Spencer Moran and Isabel Marshall.

Other honours: Rugby - representing Yorkshire U18 as Captain and North of England U18 - Thomas Cokell; representing Yorkshire U17 - Thomas Davidson; representing Yorkshire U16 - Mark Gemmell; representing Yorkshire U15 - Alexander Rieder and Christopher Gemmell; representing West Yorkshire U16 - Nicholas Hyett and Samuel Bartlett; representing West Yorkshire U15 - Harry Taylor.

Cricket: Representing North Yorkshire U13, Yorkshire U13 and North of England U13 - Christopher Gemmell.

Hockey: boys: representing North Yorkshire U16 - Mark Portnell. Girls: representing North Yorkshire U17 - Claire Lilley.

Fell Running: representing England - Claire Lilley.