A SCHOOL is celebrating after being praised by the secretary of state for school reform minister for getting full marks in the National Phonics Screening check – ranking in the top two per cent nationally.

Warmly congratulating headteacher Stephen Jones, members of staff and pupils at Coxhoe Primary School, near Durham, Nick Gibb wrote: “We want to ensure that every child develops a firm grasp of phonics which is why I was so delighted with your results.

“With 100 per cent of pupils at Coxhoe Primary School reaching or exceeding the pass make in the check your school is in the top two per cent of all primary schools in the country.”

He added: “I am pleased to learn that you have ensured that all Year 1 children in your school have a firm foundation in reading, from which they can develop further and become increasingly fluent readers.”

Mr Jones said: “We are over the moon. It has been a lot of hard work from members of staff over recent years since the introduction of the phonics test.

"And I think gives us clear evidence that we are on the right track in how we teach reading in school.

"The support that we have from parents is invaluable in helping that - the home reading they do helps reinforce the learning that happens at school.

"Staff give tirelessly in terms of hours that go into preparation for lessons to inspire the children as well.

The test is an annual statutory check where pupils have to read 40 unseen words which are a mixture of 'alien' (nonsense words) and real words.

The words are changed on a yearly basis and sent to school by the DfE to be opened on the first day the test can be administered.