STAFF morale is at an all time high after an infants' school was the first in High Wycombe to be recognised as an Investor in People.

Marsh County First School, in Abbey Barn Road, received the award last month with the help of Business Link Thames Valley, which provided support and guidance.

The award is special in that no other infant school in High Wycombe has achieved the coveted national standard.

Head teacher Anne Smart said: 'We feel it is a tremendous achievement for our school to gain the Investor in People award, as it underlines the importance we place on developing our staff to meet their full potential.

'As well as the public recognition, this award has given us greater clarity of purpose, improved staff morale and team spirit, and helped us progress towards total quality.'

The Investor in People award goes to organisations which can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to train and develop all staff to meet the goals of the business. It was developed after extensive research into what separates successful organisations from their competitors.

The school, which has 19 staff, holds weekly meetings to identify training needs and current educational initiatives.

Staff receive in-house training and go on training courses. The school also invests in non-teaching staff who recently had first-aid training.

Mrs Smart added: 'The training of staff has had an impact on learning throughout the school. Everyone's self-esteem has increased and we have raised the quality of education for all pupils. As a direct result of working towards the national standard and investing in our staff, we are in turn investing in our pupils.'