Athlete James Thie puts young athletes from Downton School through their paces. DA5840P2WHEN it comes to sporting achievement, Downton School is in the premier league.

The 394-pupil school has been awarded Sportsmark Gold status, in recognition of its commitment to promoting the benefits of physical activity and school sport.

It is one of only 95 secondary schools in the country and one of only two in Wiltshire to be awarded the status in this year's round of the Sport England initiative.

Downton school headteacher Jenny Lawrie was presented with the award certificate by 1,500m runner and Olympic hopeful James Thie, at a ceremony at the school last Thursday.

Mrs Lawrie said: "We are so pleased that our efforts have been recognised.

"We offer a wide range of sports here and that involves our liaising with the community - we have people coming in to help teach judo, we work with Downton leisure centre and our students get training from Salisbury rugby club."

Mr Thie (26), who is preparing for the Olympic trials in Manchester on July 10 and 11, said the award was "a fantastic achievement".

"Physical activity has been neglected in the past few years, but if you send your child to a school like this one, with this award, you know there will be an emphasis on sport, and that's healthy," he said.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm here, the kids are willing to learn, and there are some budding sport stars, too."

He added: "I did a lot of cross-country runs in Salisbury in the early 1990s, so I have fond memories of this area."

As part of its Sporting Ambassador scheme, Sport England arranged for Mr Thie to spend the afternoon at Downton School, working with its pupils and those from the area primary schools at a primary school athletic festival.

He did specialist coaching sessions with Years 7 and 10 pupils and presented the primary school competitors with their medals and certificates.

The festival was run by area sports co-ordinator Pam Swienton.

She said the festival gave the younger pupils the opportunity to compete in a full range of events, many of which would not be available at their primary school.

She added that the junior sports leader award candidates from the Year 10 GCSE PE group helped to organise and run the event, by warming up and coaching the youngsters.

The award of Sportsmark Gold status follows the school's attainment of Investors in People status, which rewards its achievements in staff development, and its recognition by the Musicsound Foundation with £25,000 towards its bid for specialist school status in performing arts.