DARWEN Moorland High School has won prestigious Sportsmark status from Sport England, which was appointed by the Government to lead the development of the nation's play.

Only about 450 schools across the country have achieved the award -- with another 50 gaining top Gold status.

The accreditation programme sets out a range of challenging targets and focuses on the provision of well-balanced physical education teaching; an out-of-hours school programme which offers all pupils access to a range of opportunities and putting in place sporting links with the local community.

Moorland deputy head June Berry, said: "We strive to ensure that all our students have access to appropriate opportunities in all these areas and achievement of the Sportsmark award acknowledges the high level of provision we are achieving."