PARENTS have been given top marks for helping to give children's reading skills at a small primary school a boost.

Parents responded to a call to encourage reception class youngsters to take up reading at St Thomas More RC, in Belmont, Durham.

Teacher Barbara Reilly O'Donnell asked for help in preparing story sacks when the reception group reached its foundation stage in reading.

It has led to the creation of 20 brightly coloured sacks, each containing a popular children's book, an audio tape of the story, and associated toys, figures and illustrations, all aimed at making the reading experience more appealing to youngsters.

A wall, where all 20 completed story sacks are hung, was opened at the school this week.

Headteacher Damian Groark said he was delighted by the response from parents.

"We have 15 reception class youngsters and so they can all choose a different story sack each week for the next 20 weeks," he said.

"They include a mix of popular classics and traditional favourites, such as The Gingerbread Man and Three Billy Goats Gruff, to Biblical stories, such as Noah and the Great Flood.

"The whole package helps to enliven the reading experience for the young children, particularly as some of the sacks and illustrations are really elaborate. We are absolutely delighted. Some of the parents have made things, others have had the story recorded on tape. They have really put a lot of effort into it."

Many of the parents involved visited the school for the official opening of the story sack wall this week.