Double celebration for village primary school

Executive head teacher, Becky Dhami, and Robin class teacher and phonic lead, Katie White, alongside some of the successful pupils.

Staff and pupils at North Cockerington CE Primary School are having a double celebration this week.

The school has received a letter from the Minister of State for School Standards, Nick Gibb - who has served as a Conservative MP since 1997 and is standing for re-election on December 12 - in which the school was congratulated for its outstanding achievements in the 2019 phonics screening check.

A school spokesman said: “There is a substantial body of evidence that demonstrates that systematic phonics is a highly effective method for teaching children to read. The minister’s letter stated that this is why he was delighted to see North Cockerington’s results.”

“With 100 per cent of pupils at North Cockerington reaching or exceeding the pass mark in the check, the school is in the top two per cent of all primary schools in the country.

“This year’s figures show that 88 per cent of pupils who achieve the expected standard in the check, go on to achieve at least the expected standard in Key Stage 1 reading teacher assessment, which underlines the importance of teaching pupils to decode words effectively at an early age.”

The minister’s letter goes on to say the success in teaching phonics and early reading at North Cockerington means pupils are developing a firm foundation in literacy, from which they can develop excellent vocabulary and cultivate a love of reading that can last a lifetime.

Becky Dhami, Executive Headteacher, told the Leader: “We are delighted to receive the letter from the Minister of State for School Standards.

“In 2017/18 we introduced a new way of teaching phonics and this has led to our outstanding provision. Our pupils, staff and wider school community work exceptionally hard and it is wonderful to receive this recognition.”

In a second celebration this week, the school has also received the ‘School Games Gold Award’ for 2018/19.

Alan Grantham, from the Wolds School Sports Partnership, visited the school to present the award, which recognises the range and number of competitions both in and outside of school that children can participate in, along with the work of their play leaders, coaches, and teachers.

In addition, the school promotes a range of other sporting organisations across the local area.