By Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

A Stoke-on-Trent school has become the first in the city to achieve a silver award in a cycling programme.

Hillside Primary School has achieved the status from the Sustrans Bike It initiative and will receive its award from the projects creator Dave Clasby when he comes to the city on Friday February 24, 2012 at 9:15am.

To achieve the status, Hillside Primary School have had to run a series of events on their own including bikers breakfasts, presentations to teachers around the city about the benefits of cycling, and becoming involved in British Cycling.

The school took up the scheme in 2009 and now has around 50 per cent of its pupils cycling regularly.

Councillor Debra Gratton, cabinet member for children's services, said: "This is a great achievement by one of our city's schools and everyone involved should be extremely proud. We want our city's children to engage with healthy lifestyles and cycling to and from school is a great way to do just that."

The presentation comes just as schools across the country plan to take part in the Big Pedal challenge between March 5 and 23, 2012. Ten schools have signed up for the challenge in Stoke-on-Trent so far. For more details about the Big Pedal visit www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/bike-it.

Hillside Primary School is the thirty-second Silver School Mark award made nationally by Sustrans.