Staff at Mawnan Primary School have received a special award for a scheme they introduced to improve both the physical and mental health of their pupils.

Over the past year each pupil at the school has taken part in Real PE, a new scheme started by the school that teaches creativity, social interaction, and cognitive abilities through physical exercise.

It falls under the county council’s Cornwall Healthy Schools initiative, and the wider national program, designed by the Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families.

And now the small school from Mawnan have received an award for their participation in the scheme, after submitting a portfolio to the local council.

Head teacher Randall Brook, 62, said: “It’s a program to help schools, and lots of establishments go for the award. It shows that we are thinking about welfare.

“This year we had to developed a scheme which assessed the children on their cognitive ability, social skills, health, fitness, and creativity, and had to make a case study which demonstrated our work to get the award.

“We introduced the scheme last year and this year we developed a package for teachers to assess the affect it has on the children.

“They’re doing very well, but it’s not so much how they’re doing - its more about how you can assess that sort of thing.

“I think it’s very important, it’s the aspect of schooling that’s not just education, it’s about wellbeing.

“It is skills based so it’s not particularly competitive, but instead focusses on the children learning different skills such as throwing and catching, football and gymnastics.

“I’m very pleased to receive the award, especially because I’m retiring next week.”

The award was presented to Heather William, primary link teacher, by Paula Chappell, a Healthy Schools delivery adviser for Cornwall Council, on Tuesday afternoon.

Paula said: “I think the case study for us demonstrated their caring ethos that supports wellbeing for the pupils. It is very well deserved, and the panel that agreed it were very impressed with the work they had done.”