STUDENTS, staff, and parents of a Grays academy came together this week to celebrate the achievements of the class of 2014.

Altogether, more than 400 people attended the annual presentation which was held on Tuesday, November 11, at The Hathaway Academy in Grays.

On the night, the academy celebrated the hard work of their students throughout the academic year and presented current and former students with 23 awards for individual success in a range of areas.

Star student, Samuel Agyeman who achieved 11GCSE A*/A grades and an A grade for his further maths exam in August, received four awards on the night.

Wendy Mach, who accomplished 14 A*- B grades for her GCSEs and an A grade for her A-level Chinese was also awarded on the night.

Dave Lee-Allan, Interim Principal at The Hathaway Academy, part of the Academy Transformation Trust family of academies, said: “It was a great pleasure to recognise our students’ positive achievements and to celebrate with them, especially since so many of these young people have given up their time to champion their school and community, as well as working for their own successes.”

Guest of honour, Martin Offiah, retired professional England Rugby Player, also gave an inspiring speech to guests.

The evening also provided the opportunity to acknowledge excellence in all aspects of school life and included awards for progress and services to the academy.