Pembrokeshire pupils can rightly regard themselves as the best young film-makers in the UK, after their outstanding success in the National Schools Film and Animation Awards.

More films made by local schools were shortlisted for the awards than any other local authority in the country. Pennar Infants and Templeton CP won their categories outright, and Ysgol y Preseli received a highly commended award.

The other schools shortlisted for awards were Roch CP School and Ysgol Glan Cleddau.

The winners received their awards at a glittering awards ceremony at the British Film Institute on the Southbank in London, from former children's TV presenter Floella Benjamin.

"This was an amazing result for Pembrokeshire," said IT advisory teacher Duncan Whitehurst, who has been working with local schools on animation and film projects for the last four years and attended the awards ceremony with the shortlisted schools.

"To come away with two winners and one highly commended (from five categories) was an incredible achievement for the schools and a credit to the dedication of the teachers and children who worked on the films."

Pennar Infants was the Winner of the Best Key Stage 1 Animation for their trilogy of short Welsh-language films Y Siarc (The Shark), Mr. Blaidd (Mr. Wolf) and Y Dolffin (The Dolphin).

The Year 1 pupils based the film on different weather conditions and different feelings, and created storyboards before modelling characters from plasticine. They then moved the characters by tiny amounts, filming each move, to create the animation.

The scripts were written and recorded by the children in Welsh - their second language.

"They found it really interesting," said teacher Liz Knight who helped them with the film, together with Duncan Whitehurst and Helen Allen, learning support assistant. "When they saw the final film they were thrilled to bits. They couldn't get over how effective it was."

The school was represented at the awards by pupils Lewys Allen, Adam Asparassa, and Dylan Oatley, together with Liz Knight, Helen Allen, Leanne Asparassa, Suzie Oatley.

Templeton CP was winner for Best Key Stage 2 Animation for Don't Look Now, a clay animation film based on the proverb 'a watched pot never boils', chosen by the children.

Pupils aged nine, 10 and 11 all helped to make the film, which involved creating the characters and story, making the sets and models, filming the animation, writing, timing, and recording the script, adding the credits, making posters, and more.

Teacher Sheila Furniss said the pupils filmed 16 shots per second, and were so dedicated that, having watched the first cut, they decided to re-shoot an entire section.

She added that pupils develop countless skills while working on a film: "They learn how to work in a team, make a formal plan, solve any problems that arise, it covers everything!"

Pupils Ewan Meredith, Ross Chell, Carmen May, all represented the school at the awards, together with parents and Sheila Furniss. A fourth pupil who worked on the film, Chloe Parry, was unable to attend.

Ysgol Y Preseli also received a Highly Commended award for Best Key Stage 3 Film and Animation for Homeless by Micayla Tose, of Year 10.

Micayla's film was inspired by the lyrics of the song 'Homeless' by Leona Lewis and was created from video clips shot by Micayla, combined with clips from the video game 'The Sims'.

Headteacher of Ysgol y Preseli, Martin Lloyd, said: "We are absolutely delighted with her success - it's an outstanding achievement and we will certainly be looking to do further work in the field of film and animation in the school."

Roch CP School's film What Happens to Our Waste? and Ysgol Glan Cleddau's film Beth Sy'n Digwydd i'r Fforestydd Glaw? (What's Happening to the Rainforests?) were both shortlisted for the category Best Key Stage 2 Film.

Duncan Whitehurst said making films and animation promoted creativity in the curriculum, and is the perfect way to engage children of all abilities in learning and developing skills that will be useful when they leave school.

"Every year we host the Pembrokeshire Schools Film Festival as a showcase for the excellent work done by schools across the county with the entrants receiving feedback from an expert panel of film- makers," he said.

"The winners of this year's festival, which showcased 54 films and animations, represented Pembrokeshire at the national event. The standard of films from our schools has improved year on year due to the enthusiasm of our teachers and children and it's because of this that the county has done so well this year."

As a result of the schools' success at the National Schools Film and Animation Awards, the BBC is planning to show some of the films on big screens in Swansea and Cardiff in the run-up to Christmas.

Clr. Huw George, cabinet member for children, young people and the Welsh language, praised the young film-makers and their teachers.

"This is an exceptional achievement and I'd like to congratulate all those shortlisted for the awards, and especially the winners," he said.