IT'S no wonder children at a primary school have received an award for excellence from the Government - for the youngsters know a thing or two about government themselves.

Schoolchildren and staff at Langley Park Primary School, near Durham, received a Department for Education and Employment excellence award for school achievement.

But soon the children of the school could be passing their own verdict on the Government, instead of the other way round, because they have set up their own democratic system of administration.

Each class in the school has elected two representatives to meet as a council, every week.

And they have already achieved the purchase of more playground equipment for the infant class.

"They take it very seriously, and quite right too," said headteacher Dorothy Brennan. "We started at the beginning of term and it has been a real success."

Mrs Brennan said receiving the Government recognition had been a "morale booster" for the entire school.

The school received the award, along with a number of schools across the county, for academic achievement in national examinations compared to schools in similar areas across the country.