West Berkshire primary schools excel in annual performance tables

In the figures published by the Department for Education, the local authority averaged 82 per cent for pupils obtaining level 4 or above in reading,
writing and mathematics, compared to the average in England of 79 per cent.
This is above nearby Bracknell Forest at 79 per cent, Oxfordshire at 78, Slough at 78 per cent, and Reading at 75 per cent, with only Wokingham higher at 85 per cent.
Last year West Berkshire managed 77 per cent compared to the then national average of 75 per cent.
The best performing school in the district in terms of average point score, which measures the average level of achievement for all subjects per pupil at key stage 2, is Theale Primary School which achieved a score of 31.4.
This was followed by Chieveley Primary School at 31.3 and joint third placed Inkpen Primary School and Curridge Primary School who recorded an average point score of 31.2.
The lowest performing school is The Willows Primary School with an average point score of 26.4, below the national average of 28.7.
Headteacher of Theale Primary School, Catherine Morley, said: “I am very pleased and proud to have achieved these results for our children.
“They reflect the high aspirations and expectations we have as well as the dedication and commitment of every member of staff in all that they do every day.”
Chair of governors at the school, Penny Myers, added: “I would like to thank the whole school community, including parents, carers and governors for their support in helping the school to achieve so highly.”
Chieveley Primary School headteacher Linda Wood said she was “delighted” by the results, adding: “I would say the success is in part down to having very inspiring staff, especially people like [deputy headteacher] Miss Hayward.”
Commenting on results for The Willows Primary, school headteacher Alexandra Butler said: “The results are at face value somewhat disappointing as we have improved our results over the past few years from 39 per cent four years ago to 92 per cent in 2013.
“However, every group of children is different and therefore when one probes further you realise that this particular 2014 cohort included several children with significant special or other educational needs and a number of newly arrived children.
“Despite this, the progress measurement in all three subjects is very good which demonstrates that our pupils achieve well across the school.”
West Berkshire Council’s executive member for education Irene Neill said of the figures: “We welcome this report.
“In particular, we are extremely pleased to see West Berkshire’s primary schools’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 confirmed in the top 25 per cent local authorities.
“This is exceptionally pleasing given that schools are grappling with various significant reforms to both curriculum and assessment.
“These improvements are a combination of the hard work of schools and significant additional investment by the council in school improvement, in line with our council plan priorities.”
How did your school do? See the full performance tables in this week's Newbury Weekly News.