The Assessment and Qualification Alliance’s student of the year is Stephen Ball, formerly of King Edward’s School, Birmingham, and now at Cambridge University. Not only was he the best of 19,543 entries in applied mathematics, but he achieved grade A in four other A-levels. He has received a cheque for Pounds 250, a diploma and a gold medal.

HEALTH MATTERS SCHOOL AWARD

Six girls aged 15 from Brakenhale School, Berkshire, have been named the UK’s top young research scientists of the year for their project on the dangers behind ultra-violet light: “UV or not UV - that is the question”. They collect a trophy, Pounds 2,000 for their school and Pounds 500 for their chosen charity, the Paul Bevan Cander Foundation.

YORKSHIRE CHILDREN’S BOOK COVER

This award is organised by Yorkshire Libraries for Children to highlight the best in children’s book cover design. Winner of the six to nine age category and overall winner is Red Eyes at Night (jacket illustrator, Tony Ross; author, Michael Morpurgo; publisher, Hodder Children’s Books).

“I WAS THERE”

Out of 7,000 entries for this Christian essay competition run by the Churches’ Media Trust for 11 to 15-year-olds, the winners were Heather Topham (13) from Loughborough and Michael Wallace (12) from Abingdon for their first-person accounts of the miracles of Christ.

SCHOOL COOK OF THE YEAR

Kathryn Cordy, who has worked at Wickhambrook County Primary, near Newmarket, Suffolk, since 1991, has been voted the best school cook in the country. She has been awarded Pounds 2,500 for a family holiday.

LESLIE BOOSEY AWARD

The 1998 award goes to Professor Emeritus John Paynter OBE for his contribution to creative music-making in the classroom. His emphasis on the practical skills of performance and composition underpinning theoretical and academic work led to a modification of the national curriculum and the GCSE syllabus.