A CALNE school is celebrating after receiving an award which shows it is ahead of the crowd when it comes to using technology in innovative ways.

St Margaret’s Preparatory School is one of the first in the country to receive the Third Millennium Learning Award from the education technology association Naace.

St Margaret’s demonstrated its commitment to and understanding of technology earlier this year, when its pupils won a top title in the FIRST LEGO League Competition, in which it used robotics to combat ecological problems.

All of the schools receiving the new award have already proved that they have a solid understanding of how to harness technology for learning and already have the Naace ICT Mark.

But now they have also shown they can push the boundaries when it comes to technology, as well as enjoying a close relationship with their communities. Mike Callahan, head of computing at St Margaret’s said: "The Third Millennium Learning Award has been a great experience for our school. This award is an acknowledgement from Naace, a national and well respected organisation, which confirms that St Margaret’s is well ahead of the game.

"Not only do we demonstrate excellent practice, but we are leading the field in developing new ways of learning, made possible by technology."

Drew Buddie, Chair of the Naace board of Management said: "Naace applauds all those involved in the Third Millennium Learning Award. They have demonstrated that UK technology in education has so much to be proud of.

"We have some amazing professionals working in our schools who are passionate about embedding technology to enhance the learning that can take place for all children. These schools are world class. We look forward to sharing the success stories of these schools with the community. This is another example of how we hope to advance learning in a connected world."