The efforts of pupils and staff at All Cannings Primary School near Devizes to beautify their village have been rewarded with a Green Flag award.

It is the highest national honour for environmentally active schools. Inspectors who visited the school were hugely impressed by the passion shown by the children towards environmental issues, the close work with the local community on projects such as the churchyard wildlife area and the thorough embedding of eco principles within the curriculum.

Head teacher Richard Borman said: “It shows that schools can achieve balance between achieving success whilst ensuring that children learn the skills and attitudes for the future that matter.”

Pupils and eco-councillors Hannah Wilson and Alfie Kerr were delighted that the school had won the award. They said: “We have both been on the eco-council for seven years and the best thing is not getting the award, but knowing that when we leave All Cannings, the school will continue to fly the flag for green issues.”

On behalf of the parish council, which has responsibility for the churchyard, chairman Tim Daw added his congratulations to the young eco-warriors.

He said: “Part of the work they have been doing is in the churchyard where the parish council has for many years been running a wildlife conservation project.

“This week is Cherishing Churchyards Week, organised by Caring for God’s Acre, and the churchyard at All Cannings is in magnificent form and worthy of a visit.

“I don’t know much about gardens. The only advice I can remember and follow is from one of the Rothschilds who said, however small your garden, leave at least a quarter of an acre as a wild area.

“I am pleased that the parish council has followed that advice and given us this wonderful display of nature’s riches in our God’s Acre with the help of the young members of the community.”