Read all about it! Bookworms prove they are top of the class

Pupils at an upper Calder Valley school are top of the class when it comes to reading.
The school is in the top one per cent of schools in England for reading achievementThe school is in the top one per cent of schools in England for reading achievement
The school is in the top one per cent of schools in England for reading achievement

Heptonstall Junior, Infant and Nursery School is in the top one per cent of primary schools in England for achievement in reading.

The outstanding accolade follows the 2016 key stage two assessments and saw head teacher David Perrin receive a letter of congratulations from Westminster.

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Nick Gibb, the Minister of State for School Standards, wrote to Mr Perrin to congratulate the school for the high standards the children had achieved.

“Your school’s results show that 100 per cent of your pupils reached or exceeded the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage two,” said Mr Gibb in the letter.

“We want to ensure that every child has the necessary fluency in reading to prepare them for a successful secondary education and beyond, and your school has provided this to all your pupils.

“Thank you for your hard work and professionalism in producing such high standards and congratulations again to you and your staff for all you have achieved.”

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Head teacher David Perrin said the “wonderful” news followed hot on the heels of the school’s latest and successful Ofsted inspection.

He said: “I knew, of course that our reading results were very good in 2016 – but I have to admit I had no idea we were in the top one per cent until I received the letter.

“I am very proud of all the hard work that teachers, teaching assistants and of course the children themselves have put in over the years to achieve this success and put us in the top one per cent of schools.

“I have always believed that reading is the “sharp end” of education – if you can read you can achieve.

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“There is much more of course to Heptonstall School than concentrating on achieving high SAT results – we pride ourselves on providing a wonderful rounded and happy educational experience to all our children from nursery to ear 6 – but it is a more than just a ‘bonus’ when we also achieve such results as this.

“I am delighted we managed to achieve this in 2016 when due to all the changes, the testing system was a bit of a farce and we were entering the world of the ‘unknown’. It is a tribute to the 12 pupils that were in year 6 that they achieved such a high performance.”

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