District primary schools among the top performers in county

Holywell Church of England Primary School and Bury Church of England Primary School were among the top 10 primary schools in the county, according to data for 2017 released by the Department for Education in December.

Bury was ranked joint fifth in the list of top schools, with 86 per cent of its pupils achieving the expected national standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Year 6.

Holywell, meanwhile, was ranked joint eighth in the list, with 83 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard. Nationally, the average was about 61 per cent.

Claire Macdonald, head of school at Holywell, said: “The hard work and dedication of all staff and pupils has paid off and we are delighted to see that this is recognised.

“In 2014 we were judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Pressure to continuously move the school forward is challenging with ever decreasing budgets and changing curriculums.

“A colleague recently likened it to a game of Kerplunk – when you have all the sticks in the correct place there is a strong network of support that holds all the balls in the air and elevates learning. We are fortunate at Holywell to retain staff as we have such a strong team who support each other.

“Our teachers are continuously learning from each other and are not afraid to try new approaches. They talk together and share best practise. Above anything else, they truly care for each other’s wellbeing so school is a supportive environment and develops a culture where there is mutual trust between pupils, teachers and parents.”

Emma Heanes, head teacher at Bury Primary School, said: “Children did very well last year but this year they have done extremely well, which is down to the hard work of the students.

“We are always looking at what we can do to be even better. It is about always striving to do the best you can. I am very pleased that I have such a strong team around me and the children are fantastic, they are so motivated to learn.”