A new government initiative to help secure the Olympic legacy has been launched at a school in Acton.

The Department of Education (DoE) is providing more than £450m to improve participation in sports and help recruit coaches.

It launched the programme at Berrymede Junior School, in Osborne , on Tuesday (March 10), with English Commonwealth Games medallist Bianca Williams and DoE Under-Secretary of State Edward Timpson attending.

The school, under head of PE Steven Cotton, excels in sporting practice and is already an example for others to follow.

The new funding will allow primary schools across England to receive more than £150m a year from the government to improve PE and sport, with a typical 250-pupil primary getting around £9,000 a year. A new website will also help primary schools recruit and develop sports coaches.

Berrymede headteacher Lubna Khan said: “We were very honoured that the minister and many others came to visit us.

“This is a national recognition of the importance of sport - it’s another avenue for the children to find their strengths.

“Berrymead has an excellent understanding of sporting use. We already have good practice in place and in a way we are a beacon school.

“We have a PE apprentice so we are already teaching young people to go on and become PE teachers. This now gives us another resource.”

At the launch, double-bronze Commonwealth medallist Miss Williams spoke to children. Afterwards she said: “PE and sport have also given me a range of skills which I can apply in other aspects of my life – teamwork, communication, resilience and the ability to persevere when things go wrong. So it’s vital that we get it right in primary schools.”

Mrs Khan also praised the impact the athlete’s words had on pupils at the junior school.

She said: “They were in awe of this young girl who gave a humble story about how she started and how she got to where she is - for the children it was a very reachable aim.”

Other sporting groups were present at the launch including Sports Coach UK and the British Mountaineering Council.