TWO pupils from Penkford School showed true grit when they took on the challenge of a lifetime by riding along part of the Tour de France route

Reece Skeech (15) and Lennox Smith (14) took on on a 300 kilometre speed cycle.

And the start of the expedition was not for the faint hearted with a 7km climb up the Col de Joux.

The Extreme Classroom event was filmed by Sky Sports and shown on the Game Changers show. During their expedition pupils were supported by Sky’s Living for Sport Athlete Mentor, Rachel Mackenzie, who is a Thai boxing world champion.

Reece and Lennox also had the opportunity to assist with preparing and fixing bikes and setting up feeding stations.

Head teacher Julie Johnson said: "We are all very proud of the two pupils who got through the very demanding selection process to gain places on the challenge.

"It was the experience of a lifetime.

"Our pupils have social emotional and behavioural issues and participation in a challenge like this is an opportunity to show grit determination and resilience. Many thanks to Phil Worgan our outdoor education tutor who mentored the pupils during the challenge and a special thank you to a former pupil Brandon who was the second mentor".

Penkford has received praise from school inspectors for the innovative projects and imaginative curriculum put in place by the Head and her newly established Senior Leadership Team.