A TEESDALE school has been awarded a grant for its work in helping an endangered species of bird.

Pupils at Bowes Hutchinson C of E Aided Combined School, in Bowes, near Barnard Castle, have received £1,000 as part of the Volvo Practical Environmental Projects award scheme.

The primary school was contacted last year by Teesdale District Council as part of a scheme to secure the future of the spotted flycatcher.

Staff agreed to put up boxes in the school's wildlife garden to encourage spotted flycatchers to nest.

Teacher Nicola Clark said: "The fact that the spotted flycatcher has seen such a drastic decline in recent years captured the children's interest, and they actively researched ways of making our garden attractive to the species. We devoted a large area of the garden to becoming an insect-rich haven in order to attract as much biodiversity as possible."

The grant will now help the school to put up video cameras to monitor how the birds use the nest boxes.

The results of the monitoring will be forwarded to members of the Spotted Flycatcher Campaign.