St Martin’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in Scarborough is celebrating after receiving official Government praise for the exceptional academic outcomes of its disadvantaged pupils.
Children and staff at a Scarborough primary school are celebrating after being praised by the Government for achieving impressive results that place it “among the very best nationally”.
In a letter to St Martin’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, congratulated pupils and staff on their exceptional outcomes that disadvantaged children achieved at the end of the 2024/25 academic year.
In her letter, she said that the school’s achievements demonstrate what is possible after it was placed among the very best nationally, marking a significant achievement. She expressed her hope that the school would continue to share its experience and best practice with others.
The school is situated in one of the most deprived areas of Scarborough and the headteacher, Claire Barber, has described the recognition as “thrilling” and “a very proud moment for the whole community”.
At the end of Year 6, disadvantaged pupils achieved excellent outcomes in their Key Stage 2 assessments, with many reaching expected standards across reading, writing and maths, significantly narrowing the attainment gap.
She said:
“We are all delighted. The staff work tirelessly to ensure that all children achieve their potential so to hear from the Secretary of State for Education was a bit of a surprise but welcomed by everyone here.
“Our vision and values are important in supporting children from all backgrounds alongside high expectations to help pupils be the best they can be.
“As a church school, our motto is to ‘serve one another in love’ so in all we do, we always come back to that and ensure that everybody is being nurtured and treated fairly to flourish and thrive.”
Mrs Barber added:
“Having high expectations that are communicated to the children is important, but creating a culture in school where relationships are really valued and nurtured to help the pupils to believe in themselves is equally important.
“It is a privilege to be a part of any child's journey and know that you can have an impact.”
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said:
“I am immensely proud of everyone at St Martin’s and the hard work and dedication shown by the staff who have supported all pupils and ensured they make exceptional progress and achieve well.
“This national acknowledgement is fantastic news, huge congratulations to everyone at St Martins.”
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