THE circus came to town for youngsters at a Bolton primary school.

The fun day was one of a series of workshops held for pupils at Pikes Lane Primary in Deane.

And now the school has been awarded the Artsmark Gold Award for enriching the lives of its pupils through creativity.

It is one of only handful of schools to receive the accolade.

Alex Bradley, head of creativity at the school, said: "There are only about four schools in the whole of the North West to have received an Artsmark award, so it is great to be recognised for the fantastic opportunities we provide for our pupils inside and outside of school."

The school offers children a rich extra-curricular programme where they can enjoy the dramatic arts and singing as well as more traditional art lessons, which is often taken back to the classroom to add an extra dimension to maths, IT and literacy.

Activities have included taking part in circus skills workshops, singing for the Mayor of Bolton and working with the Octagon Theatre.

And when the youngsters have completed the workshops, they are encouraged to act out what they learned and make up their own songs.

Mr Bradley said: "Schools have an emphasis on maths and literacy, which is really important, but we also want children to be rounded individuals and we provide them with the opportunities.

"The confidence children gain can be taken into other areas. In the long term, creative industries will be very important for the economy and we want to prepare pupils for that."