A school has been given a special plaque acknowledging their commitment to running the Duke of Edinburgh challenge.

Staff from St Margaret’s School in Bushey were invited to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Award Presentation at Buckingham Palace last week.

At the event, the school was given the plaque from celebrity supporter Ainsley Harriott thanking the school for giving young people the opportunity to transform their lives.

Head teacher Rose Hardy said: “St Margaret’s School has held a licence to deliver the DofE for eight years.

“I feel honoured to have been invited to Buckingham Palace to receive a commemorative plaque to acknowledge and say thank you for our work with the charity during its Diamond Anniversary year.

“Our girls are encouraged to push themselves outside of their comfort zones when doing their DofE and the skills that they develop can be life-changing, so for us to be involved is something very special.

“We are also proud to say that alumna Anna Yuen received her Gold DofE Award at the Palace on the same day.”

The DofE is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary throughout 2016, having supported millions of young people in the UK and across the globe to achieve DofE Awards since it was founded in 1956.

Peter Westgarth, chief executive of the DofE Charity, said: “Through the DofE, St Margaret’s School is inspiring the success of its young people; equipping them with the attributes and skills to get a job and build strong relationships whilst opening up their worlds and introducing them to a broad range of interests.

“We are truly grateful to all of our Licensed Organisations for the work that they do, they are an integral part of the DofE family, and our Diamond Anniversary is a fantastic opportunity to say thank you.”