By Gavin Mackintosh-
St Stephen’s Primary School, in Whitfield Road, are celebrating topping the Sunday Times league table for its 2016. The school ranked first in the Sunday Times league tables for its 2016 Sats results . This is the first time a non-independent or private school has taken the top spot.
96 per cent of its pupils speak English as a second language , yet attained 340 points in total, broken down into 111 for reading, 115 for grammar, and 114 for maths. A source from the school told the eye of media.com ” the pupils here have been inspired by the dedication of the teachers here. Speaking a second language has not been a bar on progress at all, on the other hand, it just confirms they come from backgrounds that support the great inspirational work the staff, in particular the Head teacher is doing.
Most of the staff in the school were locked in a meeting , reflecting on their newfound status, and planning the continued success of the school. Parents and guardians of the 60 pupils are delighted with the announcement, and very proud of their choice of school for their children. The BBC and ITV are scheduled to do some filming at the school tomorrow, with the aim of bringing attention to a sate school worthy of recognition.
The top rating is testament to the commitment of staff in the school who work hard in bringing the best out of their pupils. The school’s bright and motivated pupils are generally a year ahead of national curriculum guidelines by Year 6.
All Key Stage 3 pupils can do their 12 times tables by the time they are 8 years of age. They achieved close to a 100 percent achievement in their arithmetic exams. However, much has been due to a highly Head, Neena Hall, who adopted the spirit of success used in private primary schools and improved on it, boosting the enthusiasm of pupils in the school who often look forward to attending school to show off how much they have learnt.
INSPIRATION
St. Stephen’s primary school must be seen as an inspiration to all primary schools who wish to achieve big things for their pupils. Focus, discipline, passion, and direction is the key. With driven staff who motivate their pupils to achieve great results, brilliant stories like this is the automatic result. Now, St.Stephen’s primary school is the school every parent wants their child to go to. They have set a high standard for other schools to observe and emulate. The 2016 Sats exams was one of the most difficult in recent years, with many teachers complaining that their pupils were in tears over the difficulty of the questions. However, students of St. Stephen’s primary school sailed through it without any problem. The fact they topped the nation’s primary schools is something they should be proud of.