STUDENTS from Darwen Moorland High School are being urged to use the right 'currency' when making decisions about their future.

During his prizegiving speech last night, headteacher Richard Bridges told a tale about his experience of trying to use Greek drachmas during a trip to Greece and being told it was the wrong currency.

He likened the currency to the qualities of his students, and said he needed the right currency to pay for anything -- in the same way his pupils would need the right qualities to make a success of their life.

He said: "Some time ago a tourist visiting Italy came upon a construction site. He asked three stonemasons 'What are you doing?'. 'I'm cutting the stone', answered the first, 'I'm cutting stone for 1,000 Lira a day' the second man said, 'I'm helping to build a cathedral' said the third. What is our vision?

"Cutting stone and getting paid is important, but the value and motivation and fulfilment comes when we can glimpse the bigger picture and know we have a stake in it. The same is true of our young people in school.

"Moorland students are today at universities and colleges up and down the length of our land. They had the right currency and, even though they did not know exactly where things were leading, they took opportunities available which helped to build their own 'cathedral'."

Mr Bridges also paid tribute to the students, staff, governors, parents and community partners, but added there was still a great deal of improvement to come.

Awards were presented to the pupils by former student Jimmy Khan, who attended Moorland between 1975 and 1980. He is now sports development manager at Preston Council, and is also on the Football Association's national working party consulting on Asians in football.