Staff and pupils at St Filumena’s Catholic Primary School, in Caverswall, received a visit from Moorlands MP, Karen Bradley, to congratulate them on their recent successful results.

Following a meeting with the Rt Hon Nick Gibb, Minister for Education, St Filumena’s was highlighted as one of the schools in the Staffordshire Moorlands area that has shown a significant increase in standards of reading, writing and maths.

With a 97% pass rate for phonics, well above the national level, and an increase in the proportion of children achieving the higher standard in writing, as well as improved progress in the older year groups, Mrs Bradley was delighted to visit the school to pass on her congratulations.

The MP completed a tour of the school, led by the students themselves along with Claire Tomlinson, Principal.

All members of the School Council also met with Mrs Bradley to talk about their learning, their enjoyment of school and to ask a few questions about Mrs Bradley’s parliamentary role.

Mrs Bradley particularly congratulated the current year 2 children and their teachers who were the group whose phonics scores were acknowledged in the letter from the Education Minster at the end of last year.

“Our pupils were exceptionally proud to showcase their school, talking about their learning with enthusiasm, in particular the changes to the guided reading teaching and the new resources for mathematics which they were enjoying,” said Mrs Tomlinson.

“They were keen to talk about the specialist teaching for computing, science, modern foreign languages (MFL) and music, and to share examples from their favourite subjects.

“Hearing them enthuse about their learning really made me proud.

“Some of the children also used the opportunity to find out more about the role of an MP and even had a few interesting questions to ask about Brexit, the European Union and how it could affect them as they grow up.”