PUPILS at a Wall Heath school are celebrating after winning a coveted national award for sporting achievements.

Maidensbridge Primary School has been awarded the Sainsbury’s school sport gold honour for their work in promoting physical activity through competitive sport after using its school sport premium to employ a specialist coach to develop pupils’ skills in a range of disciplines.

Pupils are reaping the benefits with a number of successes on the sporting field in cross-country, athletics, golf, football, rugby and tennis after developing a group of dedicated sports leaders who organise and officiate over a range of inter-house tournaments.

Councillor Ian Cooper, Dudley Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Well done to all the pupils and staff at Maidensbridge Primary School.

“Encouraging children and young people to be active and healthy is an important part of school life and it’s great that Maindensbridge has been recognised nationally for its success in driving forward its programme of sport.”

The school is the current Dudley schools cross-country champions and its tag rugby team was awarded the silver medal in the recent 2016 Black Country School Games.

Dean Nolan, deputy headteacher, said: “We have a commitment to providing good quality PE and sport at Maidensbridge and our gold school sport award is a recognition of the hard work that pupils, staff, parents and others have put into our sporting endeavours over the last couple of years.”