14301/4DEVIZES School has officially launched itself as a specialist sports college with an open day when sports such as scuba diving, tug of war and kick boxing were on show.

The open day last Thursday was in place of the school's normal open evening to which parents and other members of the community are invited to look around the school and see the work of pupils.

But because the school was awarded sports college status in February, headmaster Malcolm Irons decided on an open day so that sports activities could be highlighted as well.

The resulting sports extravaganza included a tug of war tournament and volleyball in the quadrangle, where pupils are not normally allowed to play on the grass. There was also basketball, soccer, kick boxing and, in the swimming pool of the neighbouring Devizes Leisure Centre, pupils demonstrated the aquatic pastime of scuba diving.

During the day, the school accepted the award of a Soccer Charter Mark from the Football Association, bestowing the right for the school to wear the famous Three Lions on their shirts.

Mr Irons said: "The award recognises the school's success in attaining the FA's requirements in leadership and training in soccer. It fits in very well with the Sportsmark we achieved earlier in the year for the teaching of sport."

But the day was not totally about sport. Visitors were urged to look around the school's new state-of-the-art science block, built with money gained from the sale of a small piece of its playing field for housing.

Visitors could watch rehearsals going on for the school's upcoming production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, look at the latest creations from students in the art department, take part in a science quiz, see how the school is encouraging pupils to eat more healthily and find out how it teaches everything from religious studies to Spanish.

Everywhere the visitor roamed, computer suites were evident, each machine fitted with a flat screen and the latest in information technology.

It is particularly true of the new Learning Resource Centre, which the school library has now been dubbed following its complete refurbishment. But it is not just the books on the shelf that will help pupils further their studies. The banks of computers have Internet access, part of the school's commitment to independent learning.

Mr Irons said: "We believe students should take ownership of their learning, rather than relying on being spoon fed by the staff. By using the facilities in the Learning Resource Centre, they can become more reliant on what they can learn themselves, a skill they will need in the world of work and in their daily lives."

Pupils with learning difficulties have not been overlooked, however.

The school's new special educational needs co-ordinator, Jayne Mundell, was standing by in the learning strategies unit to show visitors how the school can address problems like dyslexia and dyspraxia and divert those pupils into lines of learning that will lead them ultimately into a vocational course of study.

She said: "Eventually they will be sent off for a period of work experience. It is wonderful to see them come back full of confidence at the realisation that there is a place for them in society and a way they can earn a living."

The school's next landmark will be the completion of a new sports centre, a two-storey extension to the existing gymnasium with a fitness suite, classroom and offices for the new staff members who have been brought in to co-ordinate the school's new health and fitness regime.

Money for the new build comes from £63,000 pledged by the local community matched by a similar amount from the Department for Education and Skills.