KIDS from Skidz celebrated their achievements at a special awards ceremony at Wycombe Town Hall on Monday.

The youngsters had all passed an exam in motor vehicle studies - and motor vehicles is what Skidz is all about.

Among the prize winners was 15-year-old John Gray of Wycombe Grange, the unit for children excluded from school. John came top in the country in the examination, taken by 2,000 entrants nationwide, and took the top achievement prize at the ceremony.

Skidz pupils also took second, fifth, seventh and 13th places in the national examination.

Steve Godfrey, who runs Skidz in Desborough Road, High Wycombe, described John, who does not attend mainstream school for personal reasons, as incredibly bright. He will be starting college in September.

The prizewinners were linked by the fact their schools are all partners in the South Bucks Educational Consortium, which uses the Skidz course.

Consortium chairman Irene Perrin, head of Chesham Park Community School, said the consortium was set up to run training and employment opportunities for young people. It is now the largest in the country.

Skidz started in 1998 with 197 children. Most of the students then were disadvantaged youngsters, for whom traditional education had done little. But today it took children of all abilities and had grown amazingly. By September it will have 400 students a week. Proof of its success is that the idea is being copied in Oxford, Banbury, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.

Patrick Upson, of the Learning and Skills Council which provides some of the money to run courses, said Buckinghamshire schools' exam results put the county in one of the top places, but he added: "There are groups of people of all ages who have not been well served by the system. We need to get these young people back into learning and training to achieve their full potential. Skidz as done a good job in energising them."

Afterwards Steve Godfrey told the Free Press: "This is the first time anyone has told these youngsters they are great."

Special awards went to: Chesham Park Community College: top achiever - Martin French; most improved - Wasim Shabir; most enthusiastic - Zubair Hussain Chalfonts Community College (Group 1): top achiever - Martin Stirrett; most improved - Ross Blunstone; most enthusiastic - Matt Bannister Chalfonts Community College (Group 2): top achiever - Steven Fox; most improved - Dayne Brench; most enthusiastic - Stevie Wall Sir William Ramsay: top achiever - Colin Thompson; most improved - Jamie Cander; most enthusiastic - Kayleigh Griffiths Wye Valley: top achiever and most enthusiastic - Steven Dent; most improved - Terry Morton Overall top achiever - John Gray (Wycombe Grange)

Overall most improved - Martin French (Chesham)

Overall most enthusiastic - Vicky Watson (Sir William Ramsay) and Steven Fox (Chalfonts)

Skidz patron Earl Howe presented the prizes.