A SCHOOL received a national award from Olympic hero Sir Steve Redgrave in front of a crowd of 10,000 at a star-studded concert.

Pupils from Ifield School in Gravesend won the Best Performance/Voice Over category of national education charity The Transformation Trust’s young filmmaker competition.

They received the award on-stage from gold medal winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave at the charity’s first birthday party at the O2 Arena last Tuesday (July 13).

More than 10,000 fellow secondary school pupils saw them collect the award, and they were also treated to live performances by pop stars including The Saturdays and Tinchy Stryder.

Led by English teacher Samantha Hargood, 11 students made the film about how their school in Cedar Avenue has changed and will change the lives of pupils, teachers and the community.

Jamie Reader, 16, and Luke Warren, 15, who both performed the award-winning voiceover rap, said: “We’re really pleased to have won. Everybody will be really proud at the school.”

The judging panel for the competition was chaired by Lord David Puttnam, who produced the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire and box-office hit Midnight Express, and is a trustee for the charity.

He said: “All of the judges were delighted by the talent and creativity of young filmmakers in our schools, and the variety of approaches taken; it made judging an incredibly hard task.”

For information on the Transformation Trust, which funds extra-curricular activities for schools nationwide, go to transformationtrust.org.uk