Prize-giving day celebrates success of 462 Liverpool students

St John Bosco Arts College, Croxteth, recently honoured students’ achievements both academically and interpersonally at its annual prize-giving day ceremonies.

The event took place over the course of two days. It recognised students across all year groups for their excellence in subject areas, outstanding progress, personal development, and wider contributions to school life.

The celebrations began on Thursday, 9 July, with a Key Stage 3 graduation and awards ceremony for Year 9 students. It marked the end of their key stage journey and the beginning of their GCSEs. Parents attended the special service which saw all students recognised for reaching this important milestone, with awards also presented to selected students, recognising their hard work and consistent effort.

Award-winning designer inspires students

The second prize-giving day took place on Friday, 10 July. The school was joined by special guest speaker and award-winning fashion designer, Kirsty Doyle.

Kirsty was born and raised in Liverpool. She rose to national prominence after winning the first series of Sky One’s ‘Project Catwalk’ in 2006. Her success on the show led to a mentorship with Topshop, launching a career that has spanned more than two decades.

Today, Kirsty is renowned for her luxury womenswear and bridal collections, and has built a successful global fashion brand. She has also expanded her work into education, founding The KD Club, which empowers young people through creative education, careers and work experience programmes.

Kirsty attended both the Year 7 and 8 awards ceremony in the morning and the Key Stage 4 and 5 ceremony in the afternoon. She delivered an inspiring speech to students, families and governors. Her speech focused on entrepreneurship and the importance of building a supportive network.

A message on opportunity and connections

Kirsty said:

“Over the past twenty years I have built businesses, opened shops, closed shops, become a mum, made mistakes, celebrated wins, had setbacks and started all over again, more than once. And every single one of those experiences led me to where I am today.”

Kirsty also went on to discuss her latest venture, The Work XP, a social enterprise that connects careers to classrooms. The Work XP was founded 12 months ago after Kirsty noticed many young people with incredible talent were unaware of the careers that existed or how to get into them.

Concluding her speech, Kirsty added:

“I’ve made it a personal mission not just to build my own network, but to share it with others. Success isn’t about collecting contacts, it’s about creating connections, helping other people and opening the doors for others to come with you […] Say yes to opportunities, ask for help and offer help, because the opportunities that change your life often come through conversations you never expected to have.”

Students who completed their GCSEs and A-levels at St John Bosco Arts College last summer also attended the Key Stage 4 and 5 ceremony. They returned to the school to receive their official examination certificates.

Marking the special occasion in St John Bosco style

Throughout the three awards ceremonies, attendees were treated to several incredible student performances. The school band opened the ceremony with a rendition of The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’. The cast of this year’s school production of Mary Poppins Jr then took to the stage. They performed ‘Feed The Birds’, accompanied by the school’s dance students.  

The school’s award-winning choir performed the upbeat soul song ‘You To Me Are Everything’ by The Real Thing. These students also led the closing school hymn to St John Bosco, in which the entire school community joined in.

Deputy headteacher of St John Bosco Arts College, Mrs Clare Roberts, said:

“It has been a joy to celebrate our students across two days of award ceremonies. From the fantastic musical and dance performances to the hundreds of awards presented for academic and personal achievements, all three ceremonies perfectly embodied our school’s mission of inspiring each other to flourish in faith, hope and love.

“We were delighted to be joined by Kirsty Doyle, whose words about seizing opportunities and building connections could not have been more timely, as we end another academic year and look ahead to the next. Thank you to the entire St John Bosco community for making all three award ceremonies so memorable, and congratulations to all students who received prizes.”