The illustrious past and bright future of Bradford Grammar School was highlighted by a star of stage and screen at its annual speech day.

The achievements of its students over the past year were marked at a prizegiving by Jenny Agutter, star of The Railway Children, An American Werewolf in London and more recently spy drama Spooks.

After handing out prizes to those students who excelled academically, she said: "I was so thrilled to be asked to come to Bradford Grammar School.

"I have heard so much about the school. It has a fantastic history - and it's not just looking at the history, it's looking at the future and seeing the great things that the students are doing here.

"It's a really brilliant place and I was thrilled to be asked to give out the prizes."

The school's tradition goes back 450 years and head teacher Stephen Davidson said he believed the annual Speech Day was a core part of the school's values.

"Certainly we are thrilled that we still have a speech day where all the boys and girls can come," he said.

"This sort of traditional northern grammar school speech day is a great tradition and I think has a real place in a school like this."

The school not only celebrates the achievements of its students once a year but every week at the school assembly.

Mr Davidson said: "We acknowledge that if you do something you should get it acknowledged in the school."

Chairman of the school governors Alan Jerome praised the work of the staff and students throughout the year and noted that a great deal of work was being carried out to look at the school's curriculum in his speech to parents, pupils and guests including the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor John Godward.

Picking up awards were last year's upper sixth students who were the first cohort of co-educational pupils to go through the school.

"It's one of the nice things for former pupils to come back and see there is a continuation of tradition," said Mr Davidson.

Form prizes were handed out to students from each year group as well as specialised prizes to last year's year 11 class and last year's upper sixth, who gained the best ever A-Level results in the school's history.

e-mail: sunita.bhatti @bradford.newsquest.co.uk