It was a night for recognising achievement.

Hundreds of pupils, parents and teachers packed the hall of Oasis Academy Mayfield for the school’s annual awards ceremony last Thursday.

Special guests included Southampton City Council’s education chief Darren Paffey and Southampton’s own Paralympic athlete Joy Haizelden, who was in Rio this year playing basketball for Great Britain.

In a speech about her own personal achievements Ms Haizelden told Mayfield’s prize-winning pupils to “take every opportunity that comes up because you never know where it might take you – and enjoy yourselves.”

Principal Phil Humphreys congratulated pupils, teachers and parents for their part in the school’s recent ‘good’ rating from Ofsted, as well as making the school one of the country’s 100 most improved.

He said: “Our celebration event is an opportunity for us to reflect on the achievements of our amazing students and give thanks for the fantastic support Mayfield receives from our families and the local community.

“It gives us a chance to thank our dedicated teachers for their hard work in unlocking the potential of our young people and harness the inspiration we take from each other, as we strive to make sure excellence for everyone is at the heart of everything we do.”