West Bridgford primary school ranks in prestigious Sunday Times’ Top 500 List
A primary school in West Bridgford, Nottingham, has topped the charts in the official Sunday Times’ Top 500 list of primary schools for 2020, coming in at 189th place – an exact 200 places in front of its positioning the previous year.
St Edmund Campion School, in Tewkesbury Close, is celebrating its success after discovering the result of its high status. The rankings were released as part of the Sunday Times’ Schools Guide 2020, and includes all state-funded primaries in England, with 16,769 schools from across the country taken into consideration.
Schools are judged on subject matters including reading, writing and mathematics, before taking an average scaled score which measures its progress within the table. Linked to the Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs), it looks at the development of pupils during their time at their school.
West Bridgford-based St Edmund was revealed to have come in 189th place in the top 500 against all other state primary schools in England – an improvement of 200 spots since its ranking of 389th last year.
Headteacher at St Edmund Campion School, Anita Blake commented: “We are so proud of the achievement. The children have all worked very hard, with everyone playing a part. The whole school community has reason to be proud, including parents and pupils. We often say that it ‘takes a village to raise a child’ and this is completely true. Our end of Key Stage 2 results demonstrates the sheer progress of our pupils and the learning that has taken place over the time the children have been at the school. There cannot be a quick fix – it’s about development and commitment.”
Positive factors highlighted at St Edmund Campion included the school’s passion and commitment to the delivery of an exciting curriculum; ensuring children receive lots of opportunities to develop their unique talents and skills.
Most recently, the school took a group of youngsters for a lesson outdoors in the nearby Sharphill Woods in the area of Rushcliffe, to learn all about problem solving and how to be resilient in muddy and wet conditions. This is as well as a charity litter picking event, to demonstrate the importance of maintaining their surrounding green spaces.
Anita continued: “We are delighted to have climbed the table since our ranking last year – still in the top 500. This shows a great level of consistency in achievement and attainment, that should be celebrated.
“As a school we are always striving to be the best we can be. We never rest and always want to provide the best educational experience for our children. We believe in working hard – both the adults and children. We believe in providing the children with exciting learning opportunities and a broad curriculum that interests and excites them.
“We get the children outdoors; we encourage pupils to sing and play sport and we do not believe in a continuous round of testing. Instead, we believe in well-rounded children who do their best because they are well motivated and want to do well.”
Further positive factors at St Edmund Campion for pupils include regular talent shows and house competitions to promote both independent and collaborative skills in pupils, as well as opportunities to be a member of the school council and the school’s eco-friendly warrior squad.
