A DECADE of memories dominated the headteacher's speech as Philips High School celebrated its annual awards evening.

Mr Chris Trees addressed pupils for the 11th time in the role as he spoke of how he became headteacher 10 years ago.

His proud opening statement was that the Higher Lane school in Whitefield was celebrating its best results in almost 18 years.

To celebrate that achievement, Mr Trees invited one of his former pupils Jonathan Ashworth, who attended the headteacher's first prize night in 1995.

He remembered how Jonathan went on to study A-levels at Bury College and was interviewed on television about his excellent results.

Mr Trees said the reporter went along the line of students asking each one how they had done and where they planned to go next.

When it came to Jonathan's turn, Mr Trees said he noticed a glint in his eye.

The reporter asked: "Where are you going from here?" To which Jonathan replied: "Me? I'm off to the pub!"

"The look on that interviewer's face was one of utter disbelief but then he didn't know Jonathan Ashworth!" said Mr Trees, "Had he done, then he would have known better than to ask a leading question like that!"

Mr Trees went on to praise his current pupils, reporting that 65 per cent of the entire year group passed English GCSE; 64 per cent passed Maths and 67 per cent passed either French or German at A* to C.

One pupil in particular, Leanne Teahan, gained a "remarkable achievement" by coming in the top five pupils in the country for French, out of 336,000 students.

Praise from Mr Trees also went to his team of governors over the past ten years.

He said that Alan Walton, Gerry Mills and Dave Evans were the people who he could turn to in good times and bad and get answers.

He said: "The fact that the school is so successful, the fact that it has improved so much, is down to them and it is summed up in a very simple phrase that Alan Walton used in 1996. The Local Authority approached us and said would we be prepared to be the centre for disabled pupils in the south of the borough? Alan's answer was very simple: "I agree, as long as we do it properly", and that is Alan Walton's theme. Those words have always stuck with me."