West Berkshire primary school aiming for Pearson National Teaching Award

Small primary school on silver list and aiming for gold

ENBORNE Primary School is in the running to being named primary school of the year.

It is aiming to win an education ‘Oscar’ at this year’s Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Selected from thousands of nominations, the small West Berkshire school is one of six on the shortlist for a Silver Award for Primary School of the Year – and if successful will go on to compete for one of 14 national Gold Awards.

The Gold Awards, known as the ‘Oscars’ of the educational world, are announced at a ceremony later in the year broadcast on the BBC.

Enborne Primary School, which has 70 pupils on its roll, was nominated for the transformation it has been through in recent years.

It was rated as requiring improvement by Ofsted in 2016, but is now judged as outstanding and prioritises pastoral care and the emotional wellbeing of its pupils.

Chairwoman of governors Claire Smith said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that our wonderful school has been recognised in this way.

“We have fantastic school leaders, great teachers and the children at Enborne have such a rich experience of school life.

“Even during these recent school closures, there’s been a real sense of community and support among Enborne pupils.

“We look forward to highlighting all this for the Pearson Award judges after Easter.”

Executive headteacher Catherine Morley said: “I am delighted that Enborne has been shortlisted for such a prestigious award.

“I’m so proud of the whole team; all our staff and governors, and our wonderful children.

“I’m grateful for the help and guidance we received during the challenges we faced.

“It’s a joy to be able to recognise and celebrate exceptional commitment and achievement at this time.”

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 by Lord David Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people.

Teaching Awards Trust chairman Steve Munby said: “Congratulations to all of the amazing schools in the running to win a Silver Award.

“Now more than ever is the time to appreciate our teachers and the fantastic work they do.”

The nomination follows Enborne CE Primary School being ranked as one of the top primary state schools in England, according to Department for Education’s 2019 tables.

The tables are based on how 11-year-olds performed in national curriculum tests, taken during their final year of primary school and show achievements and progress.

At Enborne, 100 per cent of pupils met the expected standards – something achieved by only around 80 state primary schools in England.

Nationally, 65 per cent of children met the expected standard.

The progress made by children in mathematics put Enborne among the top 10 schools in England.

Pupils’ average test scores in the subject put Enborne in the top 50 schools out of more than 20,000 schools nationally.

For progress in reading and writing, Enborne was in the top one per cent of schools in England.