City primaries celebrate Parent Power success

Two Wolverhampton primary schools – St Bartholomew's C of E Primary School in Penn and Spring Vale Primary School in Parkfield – are among the very best in the country, according to a prestigious schools guide.

St Bartholomew's is ranked 244th out of 16,000 schools nationally in the 2021 Sunday Times Parent Power guide – up from 282nd last year.

And Spring Vale has entered the top 500 for the first time, being ranked an impressive 449th.

Also in the top 500 again this year are Newbridge Preparatory School with a national ranking of 17th, Wolverhampton Girls' High School, ranked 107th, Wolverhampton Grammar School at 245th and Tettenhall College, which is 366th.

The rankings are based on Key Stage 2 data from 2019, with all schools in the guide recording significantly above average attainment levels in both English and Maths.

St Bartholomew's had a reading scaled score of 110 and maths scaled score of 111 and Spring Vale scored 110 and 108 respectively. A score of 100 represents the standard children are expected to achieve nationally.

St Bartholomew's Headteacher Rachael Kilmister said: “It’s a real honour to once again be named in the top 250 state schools in the country.

"This is down to the hard work and dedication of our staff, who have worked tirelessly to ensure our children are happy, successful and thriving in our wonderful school.”

St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust CEO Katy Kent added: "The achievement of our children is testament both to their hard work and exceptional attitudes, and to the dedication of all staff to ensure that children can reach the highest standards that they are capable of. The support we receive from parents and carers is also crucial to this success.

"I look forward to all the schools in St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust, including Woodfield Primary School in Penn, St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School in Wombourne and All Saints' CE Primary School in Trysull – as well as Gnosall St Lawrence, Haughton St Giles and Woodseaves Primary in Stafford who will be joining us in spring 2021 – achieving the same excellent results in the very near future.”

Spring Vale Primary School Headteacher Chris Blunt said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Spring Vale Primary School. It is testament to the dedication of the staff, children, governors and parents. The partnership between school and home remains vital and our aim continues that children love coming to school.

"External recognition is not what we strive for, it is a by-product of children reaching their potential through a thirst for learning. We are proud of our children in whatever they achieve."

Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "It is fantastic to see schools in Wolverhampton making it into the pages of the Sunday Times Parent Power guide again this year, and this is down to the hard work of their teachers, leadership teams, parents and pupils.

"Both St Bartholomew's and Spring Vale are rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and their excellence is borne out by their appearance in this prestigious guide. I would like to congratulate them – and the teams at Newbridge Preparatory School, the Girls' High School, Wolverhampton Grammar and Tettenhall College – on their continuing success."

He added: “As a council, we are working hard to raise educational standards in Wolverhampton still further and look forward to more local schools featuring in the guide in the future."

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