A THURROCK headteacher has praised his staff after his school won two prestigious awards.

Woodside Primary School in Grangewood Avenue, Grays, has won the coveted Arts Mark Gold and the Every Child Matters Quality Mark Silver.

The school also had previous awards of the Basic Skills Quality Mark and Investors in People reaffirmed with successful reviews this year.

Headteacher Edward Caines, said: “The Arts Mark Gold and Every Child Quality Mark Silver show the commitment of all our staff to providing the very best education for every child.

“Working towards the awards has helped us focus on improvements that really make a difference to our children and to measure ourselves against national standards of excellence.”

The Every Child Matters Quality Mark, administered by Ormiston Education is a new award measuring a school’s success in promoting every child’s right to be safe, to enjoy and achieve, to make a positive contribution and to achieve economic well-being.

The Arts Mark is an established award from the Arts Council which was applied for after the school had worked to match its existing fine sporting tradition with equal opportunities for children in the arts.