A BRADFORD primary school has been praised for how it gets its pupils involved in numerous sports.

Newhall Park Primary recently became the first school in the South Bradford area to be awarded the Sainsbury’s Active Kite Mark Gold Award.

The award recognises hard work put in by schools to improve the physical education they provide their students.

For the previous three years the Newhall Road school has gained a silver award.

The success has been partly down to the huge variety of sports available to pupils. As well as more traditional school sports like swimming and cross country, pupils at Newhall Park take part in sports like new age curling.

The school also has its own fully stocked gym.

The gold rating shows that within the 2016 - 2017 academic year the school provided all students with two hours of timetabled Physical Education per week, engaged at least half of pupils in extra curricular sporting activity each week, provided all pupils with the opportunity to take on leadership roles during PE lessons and engaging at least 15 per cent of students in leading, managing and officiating in a School Games activity.

The school also set up a School Sport Organising Committee, use professional sports coaches to support school sport, train more of its staff to support school sport and set up active links with at least five local community sports and leisure providers like clubs, leisure centres and youth groups.

The school also continued its membership of the local Accelerate sports league and of the twenty three local schools involved last year finished in second place.

Out of a possible forty seven events, Newhall Park participated in forty five competitions.

Johnathan Elstub, PE teacher at the school, said: “It is great to get the gold award. It is not just about sports either, it is also about what the children learn in lessons about issues like healthy living. We also have a breakfast club where kids can come and get a healthy breakfast.

“We’ve had people come in from Bradford City, the Bradford Bulls Foundation and other sports clubs to speak with the children and help run sessions.

“They have just created a Platinum level award, and we’re working towards that now.”

The school will have to maintain its Gold status for five years to be eligible for platinum status.

The awards are a government led scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community.

The school’s impressive sports prowess has also seen it nominated in the Bradford Sports Awards, which will be held next month. Newhall Park will compete against Baildon CE Primary School and Girlington Primary School for the Active Schools Award.

The ceremony, which celebrates the best of the districts sports teams and players, will take place at Valley Parade on March 8 and features 17 different categories.

Other categories will include Young club/team, Active Workspace and Student Club/Team.

The awards are organised by Active Bradford, and sponsored by Provident.