PUPILS at Sedgefield Community College have achieved sporting success after 18 months of determined fundraising.

Students and staff were overjoyed when the Government announced last month the news that Specialist Sporting Status had been awarded to the college.

This enables the school to gain £71 per pupil plus another £42 per pupil for community use, annually for the next four years, with £150,000 towards a new indoor sporting facility and information technology suite.

The indoor dry sports area will also provide the community and students with access to a range of activities such as martial arts, dance, climbing and table tennis.

All aspects of the school will benefit from the award. The computer suite will allow pupils of all abilities to develop learning skills through sports and will be a valuable asset to the community. There are also plans to extend the existing multi-gym with the purchase of cardiovascular training equipment and the employment of a sports coach.

Dedication was the main key to success, as staff and pupils showed great commitment, led by deputy headteacher Mervyn Armstrong.

Mr Armstrong contributed time and effort to the application, which required raising £50,000 to apply for the status. Letters, phone calls, fun runs, non-uniform events and the kindness of local business and charities were all sources of funding for the capital.

The bid was submitted last October and the news arrived on February 4. It came as a great relief to many, especially Mr Armstrong, who said: "I am delighted and ecstatic. The whole idea is to raise standards throughout the college."

Headteacher Lynne Ackland agreed: "Sedgefield Community College has massive potential and we are confident that the sports status will help us further develop the ethos of a school that challenges its students in all areas."

Ian Noble, director of sport, said: "Research has proved that being involved in physical recreation stimulates pupils to learn and achieve more."

Head of PE Lee Hogarth believes that this is an opportunity all should grasp. "This will give all Sedgefield pupils a better chance in the worlds of college, university and work," he said.

The community of Sedgefield looks destined to benefit greatly from this accolade