TWENTY young people from Linton Village College (LVC) spent a weekend digging for buried treasure as they took part in an archaeological excavation in the college grounds. The students, aged 11 to 16, are members of the Linton Heritage Project, which has

TWENTY young people from Linton Village College (LVC) spent a weekend digging for buried treasure as they took part in an archaeological excavation in the college grounds.

The students, aged 11 to 16, are members of the Linton Heritage Project, which has been awarded a �25,000 grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to help young people find out about the history of their school site.

Among the objects discovered in the test pits, some up to 70cm deep, were several Neolithic flint tools from around 3000 BC. Most of the finds dated from the Roman period and included fragments of pottery, roof tiles and a kitchen colander.

Some of the Roman pottery is believed to have been produced locally, while other pieces were probably imported from Oxfordshire, the Nene Valley and southern France. Other exciting finds included oyster shells and a molar tooth from a cow.

Professional archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology East will now study the finds for their significance.

In the meantime, the students will visit the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge to learn about an artefact's journey from excavation to display. The students will also be working with glass artist Clare Sinclair to produce an artwork inspired by their finds and with film-maker Peter Harmer to record a film of their discoveries, Linton in Layers, to be shown later in the year.

LINTON Village College has been named as one of the country's highest performing secondary schools at an awards ceremony held in London by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).

A total of 471 schools were recognised for their high attainment in the 2009 GCSE exams. All of the schools achieved criteria including 60 per cent of students gaining at least five A*-C grades including English and maths.

LVC's results were even more impressive, with a score of over 80 per cent.

Deputy principal, Vivien Corrie, said: "This award is in recognition of the hard work and outstanding achievement of our students and staff. LVC is striving to be a world-class centre of education and we are delighted to be listed among England's highest attaining schools.