PUPILS and teachers at a Wyre Forest school have been celebrating after it became the first in the county to be granted membership of an elite national group.

Stourport High School - Language College has been inducted into the Most Improved Schools Club for the giant strides it has taken in boosting its exam performances.

The award, presented by The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, is given to those that have increased the number of pupils achieving five or more GCSE A* to C grades by 10 per cent since 2002.

The number of Stourport High School youngsters reaching that standard has risen from 37 to 56 per cent in two years. Students have also enjoyed better results at A level.

Liz Quinn, headteacher since 2000, welcomed the recognition and paid tribute to the efforts of everyone involved.

She explained: "The delight on so many students' faces when they received their results in the summer made the hard work by teachers, pupils and parents worthwhile.

"We have many innovative and exciting teaching strategies, which we use to improve the quality of learning at the school".

The Minster Road school has specialised in teaching languages since 1995 and youngsters have the chance of learning a host of subjects, including French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.

Students also find out more about countries through various link-up programmes with their peers around the world, including schools in Spain, Estonia and Japan.