DRAMA students at a secondary school were a blur of energy as they celebrated an arts award.

Larkmead School in Abingdon has been awarded the Artsmark Gold Award, in recognition of its provision across a range of creative subjects.

The Artsmark is a stamp of creative quality for schools and is accredited by Arts Council England.

It is awarded at three levels - silver, gold and platinum - and schools can register to be assessed for the accolade.

Announcing news of the award on Twitter last week, Larkmead said it was 'proud' of the achievement.

Arts Council England sets out assessment criteria that schools must match to gain the gold standard.

It requires schools to have an 'established arts and cultural provision' providing all young people the chance to perform, see live performances, and create and evaluate artworks in a range of media.

It states schools should show 'commitment to equality of opportunity to arts and culture'.