A VILLAGE primary school had special reason to celebrate after its test results placed it among the best in the country for getting its pupils to the expected level and beyond.
St John's CE Primary School in Clifton, Brighouse, features in the top 50 schools in the country for getting all of its 11-year-old pupils to achieve level four results in English, maths and science curriculum tests.
It has also been named the seventh best school in England for children who achieve beyond that with the vast majority of its pupils reaching level five – more than is expected from the age group.
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Figures published today show that 83 per cent of pupils at the West Yorkshire school achieved level five in English and maths and 93 per cent achieved it in their science key stage two tests.
Head teacher Susan Garbutt said: "These are extremely good results and it is not surprising that people want to know how this can be done – and more importantly fairly consistently over the years.
"It is not coming at the top of the tables that it so important – but knowing that children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential whatever year they are in."
She said there was no quick fix to achieve good test results but a successful school ethos built up over several years.
Mrs Garbutt said : "Our Christian environment is important, the values that are taught and operate within the school are a support to children in their living and learning.
"The children respect and are respected. They are taught what is right and wrong and yet they are allowed to discuss and debate where this is appropriate.
"We have excellent relationships between home and school – open, honest and caring. Time is given to discuss the needs of all the children as individuals through many different channels. Children know that school and home are working together for their good."
She also highlighted the low level of staff turn-over as one of the factors behind the school's success
She said: "The staff is made up of well-trained professionals who work together as a whole school team. The standards they model to the children are high.
"Literacy and numeracy are considered as the key to many other aspects of learning.
"St John's is a healthy school to be in and awards have focussed our school on specific areas for development.
"None of this is really new – it is the consistency and constancy that makes things work."
St Urban's Catholic Primary School in Leeds, Ruswarp CE Primary School in Whitby, Barkisland CE Primary School, near Halifax, and Hill Top CE Primary School, in Bradford, also featured among the best performing schools in the country for getting their pupils to achieve level five results.
Hill Top's head teacher Des Martin said: "Our children have always achieved and attained highly at the end of Key Stage two but these results are our best ever and are the best in Bradford.
"We have never previously managed to achieve 100 per cent of pupils achieving level four across the board in all three core subjects of English, mathematics and science and our percentages of children who were attaining the higher level five has also surpassed all previous years results."
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