AN East Lancashire school is celebrating after being named one of the top sports establishments in the country.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, in Blackburn, has been told the Sportsmark Gold Award which it received from Sport England has been upgraded to Sportsmark Gold with Distinction. The school's development director, Phil Lloyd, said: "There are just 15 schools in the country which currently hold this accolade, and QEGS is also one of only two in the North West." The other is a sports college in Manchester.

QEGS joins just one other independent school in England -- Leicester Grammar School -- to win the accolade.

It received its recent Sportsmark Gold award from Sport England in recognition of its "outstanding commitment to physical education and sports provision."

The school first achieved gold status, which is valid for three years, in 1999. It won the Independent Schools FA Cup in 2001 for a second time, and it has a record of links with local sporting clubs.

Former pupils include footballer James Beattie, who plays for Premiership side Southampton, and professional golfer and former World Junior Golf Champion Nick Dougherty.