A SCHOOL has been celebrating after its PE and sports department was given a prestigious award to acknowledge its strong, high-quality work and efforts.

The PE team at Greenfield Community College, in Newton Aycliffe, Durham, has received the Association for Physical Education (afPE) Quality Mark, with Distinction for PE and School Sport, the highest accolade possible.

Through a self-review and evaluation process, the award recognises the strength and quality of physical education and sport in the school.

The school believes that young people are entitled to benefit from a high-standard physical education and said that there is significant evidence to show that PE supports other learning right across the curriculum.

Partaking in sports also contributes to healthy and active lifestyles, improves emotional well-being, reduces poor behaviour, increases attendance, and develops key skills such as leadership, confidence, and social skills, said the school.

Greenfield Community College PE Department now joins only seven other schools in the North-East to have held the highest accolade of distinction status since the programme started in 2012.

The department will receive a certificate and an engraved plaque with the school to be listed on the afPE Quality Mark webpage.

Martin Butterworth, Subject Leader for PE, who was responsible for coordinating the application, said: “I am delighted to be able to receive this award on behalf of the department.

“It is particularly pleasing to achieve the distinction status which pays tribute to all the hard work of our PE staff on a day-to-day basis but also acknowledges our outstanding commitment to ensuring that students receive high quality PE and school sport provision.

“I am very fortunate to lead a fantastic PE team and would like to thank them for all that they do for our pupils.

“This includes Barbara Davis, a PE teacher of 37 years at Greenfield, who recently retired at the end of the last academic year.

“She was an inspirational teacher who made a significant difference to thousands of pupils during this time and was an absolute pleasure to work alongside. Thank you, Barbara, and happy retirement."

The school aims to promote an inclusive curriculum encouraging students to work together to achieve an outstanding learning experience.

To find out more about the school, visit greenfieldschool.net or contact the school by emailing contact@greenfieldschool.net or by calling 01325 300378.