John Hellins Primary School, Brownswood Drive, Potterspury, Northants, has been awarded an ACTIVE MARK GOLD award by Sport England in recognition of the schools commitment to promoting the benefits of physical activity.

The Activemark and Activemark Gold awards are being presented to schools throughout England that provide an environment that encourages physical activity, offers a broad and balanced PE programme and teaches the children the importance of staying active. 34 schools have achieved and Activemark award and 32 schools received an Activemark Gold award in the November announcement.

The award is in its second cycle of applications, following the success of the popular Sportsmark awards for secondary schools, which is now in its fifth year.

Every school that registers an intent to apply to the Activemark programme receives The Active School Resource Pack for Primary Schools which has been produced by the British Heart Foundation. The theme of the pack is "Get Active, Stay Active" and is a valuable resource for primary school teachers.

Headteacher Mrs Anne Billingsby is delighted with the award: "This is a tremendous achievement for John Hellins Primary School. I am delighted that Sport England has recognised our commitment to providing opportunities for physical activity, and the fact that we provide a broad and balanced range of activities. We are also trying to teach children the importance of staying active. It’s not easy with competing priorities in the curriculum, but at this school we feel that physical exercise is very important."