A PRIMARY school has become one of four schools in Lancashire to win a prestigious award for its involvement in competitive sport.

St Cuthbert’s has won a Sainsbury’s School Games Gold Award which was given to the school based on its commitment to and development of competition, sport and physical education.

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Gary Lloyd, PE co-ordinator, said the award showed how much the children at St Cuthbert’s enjoy sport.

He said: “We put the effort into making sport so prevalent at the school because the kids just love it.

“I have a feeling that quite a few will go on to be real stars because some of them are already looking to compete at an elite level.

“We have travelled to Blackpool to compete in county events and local sports clubs across the borough for regional events and I’m particularly proud of when we came fourth in the girls cricket at county level.

“Another impressive achievement was when we came third in the orienteering in Lancashire and fifth in the tennis at the county finals last year.

“Our students have done so well and I am proud that we have both boys and girls taking part in a variety of sports, especially girls playing rugby, that’s brilliant.”

To win the award St Cuthbert’s has had to prove it has provided all students with two hours of PE a week and has been getting at least 50 per cent of its students involved in an extra curricular sporting activity every week.

The school has also had to offer specific support to young sports people to help them balance their sporting commitments and school and home life.

Darwen’s St Barnabas CE Primary School also achieved a silver award for their commitment to sporting competition and PE teacher Emily Gardner was proud of children’s efforts.

She said: “We have entered lots of different competitions over the past year and it’s really put us on the map for being a sporting school because we haven’t been recognised for that much in the past.

“We provide a lot of extra curricular and took part in the Lancashire School Games competition held in July in Blackburn.

“We are now aiming towards a gold award as we continue to build sport in the school.”