Kirkland and Catterall St Helen’s CE School 7th best in the country

For according to a new league table pupils at Kirkland and Catterall St Helen’s CE School are among the top 10 state primary schools in the country.

The chart, produced by the Sunday Times Parent-Power magazine, places the school seventh in its list of top 200 primary schools.

Based on data collected from the 2013 Sats tests, the table is said to rank schools where attainment in English and mathematics was above the nationally expected grade four.

St Helen’s headteacher Mark Hamblett said: “Coming seventh in the top 200 primary schools in the country is an amazing achievement for any school, it feels extra special for the Sunday Times to recognise that we, a small school in the north of England, can achieve this accolade.”

He added: “It is the culmination of seven years of top quality education at Kirkland and Catterall St Helen’s CE School that enables our children to consistently achieve such excellent results.

“The children here are immersed in our truly creative curriculum which excites them and fosters a real thirst to learn.

“All the staff are dedicated to getting the very best out of all the children and share the relentless pursuit of excellence. This positioning is the icing on the cake and is a real ‘pat on the back’ for all the hard work that goes into planning and delivering top-quality lessons, and the dedication the children show to improving themselves.”

The school, in The Green at Churchtown, is opening its doors to existing and prospective parents so they can see lessons in action for themselves on Tuesday 2 December 9.15 – 12.15pm and 1.15 – 3.15pm.

Chorey’s Brinscall St John’s CE Methodist Primary also made it into the top 200 state school and was ranked 128th.

For the first time, the table analysed state and private schools, where pupils took the Sats tests.

Both Preston independent primaries: Highfield Priory and St Pius X and Westholme Junior in Blackburn, which has a large intake from the area, were placed. Highfield was 29th, St Pius 71st and Westholme was 64th.

Government performance tables, based on a range of data from school finances to 2014 Sats tests are due to be published next month.