Sussex schools have been named in the latest round of awards by the Arts Council.

Thirty-five schools in the county and 1,161 nationwide have been given Artsmark status or had their marks upgraded.

The awards recognise schools that have made a strong commitment to the arts and make sure they are providing good arts education.

Activities can range from design to dance and circus skills.

The marks progress through three levels from the basic award through to Artsmark Gold and schools have to carry out an audit of their arts provision to qualify for an award.

The 35 Sussex schools, including Balfour Infant School, Brighton, Manor Hall Middle School, Southwick and Plumpton Primary School, are among only 31 per cent of British schools to win Artsmarks this year.

Judy Grevett, headteacher of Manor Hall Middle School, said: "This is great recognition of our hard work. There is a huge amount of arts activity going on here."

Manor Hall was upgraded to silver for work including a dance performance and production of the musical Pinafore Pirates.

Sir Christopher Frayling, chairman of Arts Council England said: "It is very encouraging to see so many schools showing such dedication to the teaching and learning of the arts.

"Enhancing opportunities for young people to engage with and practise the arts is a key priority for the Arts Council and one of our strongest pledges for the future."