Staff and pupils at Brookvale Primary School are celebrating for a second time after being placed in the top two per cent of schools in the country for the successful teaching of early reading. This year 100 per cent of Year 1 pupils passed the phonics test screening and their outstanding results have received ministerial recognition.
This is the second year in a row that Brookvale– which features in Birmingham’s top ten most sought after school – has achieved a high level of success for phonics. In 2014 it was placed in the top five per cent of primary schools in the country, with a 97 per cent pass rate.
Across the country 600,000 five and six-year-olds took part in the Phonics Screening Check. All children are tested to ensure that they are able to read phonetically - this means they recognise the sounds that are said when they look at the letters and can blend the sounds to read words.
In a thank-you letter from the Department for Education, Nick Gibb, MP, the minister of state for school reform, praised Brookvale Primary School on its successful results. He conveyed his ‘warmest congratulations for the very high standard of achievement.’
He wrote: ‘We want to ensure that every child develops a firm grasp of phonics, which is why I was so delighted to see your results. With 100% of pupils at Brookvale Primary School reaching or exceeding the pass mark in the check, your school is in the top 2% of all primary schools in the country.
“I am pleased to learn that you have ensured that all Year 1 children in your school have a firm foundation in reading, from which they can develop further and become increasingly fluent readers.”
Jenny Maskell, deputy head of Brookvale Primary School, which is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, said: “The use of Read Write Inc. has enabled us to ensure that phonics is taught in a systematic way, supporting all of our children to learn to read quickly. The success of our children in the Phonic Screening Check is testament to the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm that all of our children and staff put into the teaching and learning of phonics."
