SAINT Anthony’s Primary School in Saltcoats has been recognised with a prestigious national award.

The sportscotland Gold School Sport Award for innovation and achievement in delivering physical education and extra-curricular sport was presented to staff and pupils at the school on Thursday, October 12 by Kevin Ferguson of sportscotland.

As part of the National Lottery funded programme, the sportscotland School Sport Award is a national initiative that is designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. The Award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “Congratulations to all the staff and pupils at Saint Anthony’s Primary School - they should be extremely proud of this fantastic achievement. Not only have they put physical education and sport at the heart of their school and local community, but they have managed to do so in a way that encourages all pupils to engage in physical activity whilst having fun at the same time.

“Sportscotland is committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the heart. Working with our partners in local authorities and governing bodies of sport, we are creating closer links between physical education, school sport and club sport, which benefits young people by providing more and better opportunities to take part in sport.”

With more applications than ever before, there are currently 212 sportscotland Gold School Sport Award schools. 336 schools have been awarded Silver and 84 with Bronze.

To achieve a Bronze or Silver sportscotland School Sport Award, schools self-assess their current practice. However, to gain Gold status an extensive external assessment is also carried out by an independent panel of experts.

Shirley May Carr, Head Teacher and the Sport’s Council, from Saint Anthony’s Primary School commented: “It’s an honour to be awarded the sportscotland Gold School Sport Award. Our staff work incredibly hard to deliver a wide variety of experiences. We believe that physical education, physical activity and sport are important factors in the school curriculum.”