A Huddersfield primary school has won a national award for a pioneering project.

Bradley-based St Thomas Primary School has been crowned this year’s winner of Community Education Award’s Money Management gong for its Half Time Healthy Hunger Hut, which it launched last November with the backing of Huddersfield Town Foundation to provide healthy mid-morning snacks to pupils.

It beat hundreds of other entries to win the award thanks to the project, in which students at the Sherwood Avenue school have been taking it in turns to make smoothies and other snacks to give out to the other children.

The idea was first put together by teachers, who were concerned that some children were coming to school hungry.

Rachel Tempest, teacher and senior learning mentor at the school, said she was delighted with the award.

She said: “I’m ecstatic about the award. The Year Six Junior Enterprise Team (Jets) who develop and manage the project, along with the children who work in the Hunger Hut have been fantastic, as have The Huddersfield Town Foundation, and we couldn’t have done this without them.

“I’m immensely proud of the children and their team work, especially as it’s the final year at St Thomas for our Jets.

“What a great achievement and learning experience.

“The aim of the project was to secure the necessary funding to enable all seven to 11-year-old children, particularly those who regularly missed breakfast, to benefit from a daily piece of fresh fruit or vegetable.”

One of those benefitting from the hut is pupil Jessica Arber, 10.

She said: “The Hunger Hut is great for our school and gives us delicious, free fruit.”

Richard Evans, awards coordinator with the Community Education Awards, said: “This year the awards received over 2,500 awards- so to win The Money Management Award is an absolutely fantastic achievement.

“There is nothing more important than the health of school children, so to set up this project, by utilising the school’s corporate links is fantastic.

“What really impressed the judges though was how the children played their part in formulating a business plan and proving to be the real drivers behind the school’s success- well done to all the children and teachers involved.”