I tend to come over all impressed when confronted with a school gathered together to celebrate its achievements and the past week was no exception.

Two very different High Wycombe schools, Highcrest Community School and the Royal Grammar School, held prize givings, and they were both deeply impressive.

Highcrest Community School, which held its Celebration of Excellence last week, is a school that has dragged itself up from the depths. Five years ago, when it was notorious as Hatters Lane School, parents refused to send their children there, the pupils that did go were badly behaved, exams results were at the bottom of the table and Ofsted put the school into special measures and that's as bad as it gets. Hatters Lane faced closure.

How different from RGS, a grammar school with everything going for it top staff, top parents, top boys, top exam results, top of almost everything you care to think about and with parents clamouring to get their boys in. At Monday's senior prize-giving the list of achievements was mind boggling 17 of them have Oxbridge places.The school, a specialist language college, teaches 12 languages including Latin and Greek, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Mandarin.

The school raised £18,000 for the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami. And parents and supporters raised huge sums for new buildings and staff support. Highcrest takes children who do not get through the 11 plus, but has a similar tale.

The school was saved by the Government's Fresh Start scheme, which paid for new buildings and staff. The pupils chose the name, Highcrest, and turned up on the first day of term to be personally greeted by their new headteacher.

Highcrest is nowhere near the top of the exam league tables, but results are steadily improving. As with RGS, more parents now want their children to go to the school than there are places available. Highcrest also wants to become a specialist technology college, but may find it more difficult than RGS, because schools have to raise £50,000 first.

One difference between the schools is that whereas RGS teaches foreign languages to English speakers, Highcrest teaches English to the 25 per cent of pupils for whom it is not their first language. Awards presented last week recognised achievements in study, citizenship, attendance, good behaviour, sport and progress in the face of difficulties.

So, what conclusions do we draw from this? None, apart from the duty to support and encourage children, whatever type of school they attend.