THERE are 201 days to go until the Paralympic Games but a team of students from a school in Derby have already struck gold.

That is because organisers have chosen them to be "Game Makers" at the event.

From thousands of applicants, the team of 10 from Saint Benedict School were chosen to help run the athletics competitions.

Among their duties will be to assist athletes at the Olympic Stadium.

Assistant head teacher Vincent Round said the youngsters were buzzing with excitement.

"They could well be seen on TV across the world," he said.

Almost 200 students at the school in Duffield Road, Darley Abbey, put themselves forward for the chance to become involved.

Ten were chosen to travel to London in December for an assessment day and they were up against a host of other teams hoping to be selected as volunteers.

The youngsters had to take part in a series of team-building activities, which included building the Olympic Stadium using just newspaper and Sellotape and designing a sport advert which was then presented live to more than 100 people.

The best teams were then selected based on their leadership skills, communication and how well they worked together.

Among the Game Makers from Team Saint Benedict is 15-year-old Ella Pitzettu. She said: "I'm really excited. It seems surreal that we've been chosen.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity – it's going to be really good."

Another team member is 16-year-old Joseph Brummitt, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

The Year 12 student said: "It's just amazing. It's going to be fantastic.

"I don't think I'll get to do this again in my lifetime."

Heather Beal, 17, said she hoped the role would boost her future prospects. She said: "I'm hoping to apply for uni and this hopefully will make me stand out."

Mr Round, who will accompany the students at the Games, said the team had a lot of preparation to do ahead of the event.

He said: "They've got to go down to London in May for a test event at the Olympic Stadium.

"In a couple of months, they will be going to Wembley Arena for an induction and training day.

"There'll be some celebrities at that.

"And we've also got to go down to get their uniform, accreditation and ID badges all sorted."

Mr Round said he was proud of the team's achievement and that his only regret was the school could not take more pupils.

He said: "In April last year, we opened up applications.

"Even though the event is in the school holidays, we had 180 students wanting to be involved. I had to whittle that down to just 10."

In December, the school was presented with a Get Set Network plaque and certificate in recognition of its commitment to Olympic and Paralympic values such as courage, determination and respect.