PUPILS at a York primary school have several reasons to celebrate this term.

Youngsters from New Earswick School have just received the school’s best SATs results yet and the head teacher says the school has tackled their previous poor Ofsted inspection head on.

In addition talented Year 6 students have just scooped a cash prize from the Rotary Club for ‘designing a brain’ contest.

As previously reported, the school has been put into special measures and will have to become an academy to bring up standards.

The inspectors found New Earswick was inadequate in three out of the five categories, and downgraded its overall rating from “requires improvement” given in summer 2015, to “inadequate”.

Head teacher, Angela Oswald, said the SATs results are above the national average with 96 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing, 100 per cent in spelling and grammar, 85 per cent in reading and 74 per cent in maths.

Mrs Oswald said the results will put the school in the top 10 per cent of the country for progress in writing and spelling and grammar with the pupils who have Special Educational Needs or for pupil who are disadvantaged outperforming those with no Special Educational Needs or those non disadvantaged nationally.

Mrs Oswald said: “The staff are thrilled with the outcomes across school which reflect the progress that the school has made in the last year.

“We are now looking to increase the number of pupils on roll in our Reception class. Currently, we have a class of 14 which we would love to see grow.”

In addition Year 6 pupils at the school recently won third place in the Rotary Vikings Windfall Competition 2017 and were presented with a £250 cheque for their entry.

They designed a brain which could be opened to reveal the positive impact that their recent Enrichment curriculum had had on the lives of the children at the school.

From September, the school will offer wrap around care from 7.30am to 6pm and a three week holiday club over the summer. Going into special measures means the school has to become an academy, and Mrs Oswald said that from September New Earswick will join the Pathfinder Academy Trust group of schools which includes Archbishop Holgate’s CE.