THE region's bubbly Pop Idol, Zoe Birkett, has presented awards to top performing schools in the arts.

The Artsmark awards from the Arts Council of England celebrate schools that have made a strong commitment to the arts.

There are three awards recognising different levels of commitments to the arts - Artsmark Gold, Artsmark Silver and Artsmark Bronze.

The Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough was among those which received awards.

Chris Lord, the school's headteacher, has paid tribute to everyone for their hard work in achieving the award - in particular the school's art, drama and music teachers.

Zoe, from Darlington, was fourth in the ITV search for a pop star. She was invited to hand over the awards to pupils and teachers from winning schools in the North-East at a special ceremony at the Live Theatre in Newcastle last week.

After handing out the awards, Zoe, 17, accepted a Artsmark award on behalf of her former school, Carmel RC Technology College in Darlington.

Andrew Dixon, regional executive director of Northern Arts, said: "I am very proud that so many schools in the region have won awards through the Artsmark scheme.

"Artsmark symbolises the importance of the arts in education. It rewards excellence, endorses good practice and demonstrates that schools are concerned not only with academic success but with the wider development of young people."