Primary pupils in Northamptonshire make excellent progress with reading skills
The Arbours, Briar Hill and Newnham Primary celebrate glowing phonics results.
Pupils from The Arbours Primary Academy and Briar Hill Primary School in Northampton and Newnham Primary School in Daventry have achieved excellent results in the national Year 1 Phonics Screening check, a statutory assessment designed to test children’s ability to decode words using phonics.
Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing by matching the sounds of spoken language with letters.
This year, 100% of Year 1 pupils at Briar Hill and Newnham met or exceeded the expected standard and 93% of Year 1 pupils at The Arbours Primary School met or exceeded the expected standard.
National averages are not yet available, however the national average last year was 80%.
The Arbours Primary Academy, Briar Hill Primary School and Newnham Primary School are part of the David Ross Education Trust, which has seen its best ever phonics results this year with an average of 89% of pupils across all its primary academies meeting or exceeding the expected standard.
The trust has also seen its strongest ever SATs results this year.
Simon Rose, Deputy CEO of DRET and Director of Primary Education, said: “Becoming a fluent, independent reader not only supports children with all of their learning but allows them to develop culturally and emotionally, increasing their understanding and interest in society and the world.
“Well done to Briar Hill, The Arbours and Newnham Primary on these excellent sets of phonics results and thank you to all our staff, pupils and their parents and carents for supporting us to continue to make progress in this essential area.
“We look forward to continuing to prioritise improving reading skills.”
Janey Cooksley, Headteacher at Briar Hill Primary School, said: “The children have been dedicated to the ambition to become readers. We are delighted that the children have been rewarded with these results.”
Angela Watts, Headteacher at The Arbours Academy, said: “Teaching children to read is so important to me, my staff, our families, and our trust. Staff at The Arbours truly are experts in delivering our phonics lessons and ensuring that children are taught to read at the earliest opportunity. Once again, I am so proud of our excellent outcomes this year which are testament to our amazing children, supportive families, and excellent staff.”
Sol Johnson, Principal at Newnham Primary School, said: “Our team work hard with all of the children in this incredibly important area and this is supported and welcomed by their families. This approach of school and home working together to ensure children have the best possible grounding really does yield the best possible outcomes for the children. As well as giving them practical skills, it unlocks the countless worlds written in countless books.”