Castle Rushen High School has been given an award for its approach to the qualifications it offers students.

It has been named the ’International Centre of the Year’ at the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) Star Awards ceremony in Glasgow.

The annual event celebrates achievements in education and training, not just in Scotland, but throughout the UK and around the world.

The school was nominated for offering students SQA qualifications to complement traditional GCSE design and technology options in areas such as practical cookery and engineering.

Graham Cregeen MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture and local MHK, said: ’We have an education system that continues to evolve to support the needs and develop the interests of learners as well as linking directly with potential employment opportunities.

’This award is recognition of the efforts made by the school in developing the design and technology curriculum.’

Castle Rushen’s head teacher, Keith Winstanley, reported that SQA options had resulted in a ’sharp increase in pupil engagement’. He said the school took the decision to include these qualifications in their options for 14- to 16-year-old pupils after the head of design and technologies, Richard Maltby, was inspired by visiting Scottish schools. This was part of an opportunity arranged by school improvement adviser, Jan Gimbert.

At the award ceremony SQA’s chief executive, Fiona Robertson, said: ’The awards will shine a light on inspirational projects taking place in our centres - the schools, colleges, training providers, and employers who deliver our qualifications truly remarkable achievements in education.’

The ceremony held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow acknowledges the innovation, partnerships and creativity from schools, colleges, employers and training providers delivering the qualifications.

The award comes 18 months after the school was involved in a very different story about examinations.

Pupils were shocked to discover the book they’d been reading all year was not on their syllabus.

The 15- and 16-year-olds, completing their English literature IGCSE, had expected to be answering questions based on the book, JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, which was on the 2017 syllabus.

Instead, the students were confronted with the Cambridge exam board 2018 questions, which included Inherit the Wind, A View From The Bridge, The Winslow Boy, Henry V and Macbeth.

After the blunder, the exam board Cambridge International, did a deal with the school and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture.

The students’ grades were decided by their poetry and prose exam and their course work was used to rank them against all other pupils who took those exams.

The exam board then determined a rank equivalent mark for the drama exam, giving the students a combined overall grade for their English literature GCSE.