A PRIMARY school that was once one of the worst performing in the country has now been in the top 10 per cent nationally.

Bruche Primary School has picked up a national award for its ‘exceptional’ pupil attainment.

The Seymour Drive school has been handed the Schools, Students and Teachers Network’s Educational Outcomes Award for its youngsters’ performance in last year’s key stage two tests.

Headteacher Chris Jones, who was appointed at the Warrington Primary Academy Trust school in 2014, said: “We’ve gone from the bottom five per cent of primary schools in England to the top tier in terms of performance in less than five years.

“It’s a journey that’s been down to a lot of hard work and dedication from our children, staff, parents and governors and the team at WPAT.”

The 250-pupil school – which joined WPAT in three years ago – was once undersubscribed as parents opted to send their children to other schools in the area, but there is now a ‘huge demand for places’.

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This year saw 130 applications for 30 places in the school’s reception class.

SSAT’s awards compared all state-funded schools in England across a range of key areas, with the highest achieving receiving Educational Outcomes Awards.

Chris added: “The children’s attainment has been going up and up.

“For the last three or four years we have been the top five of primary schools in the area, and in 2018 we were one of the two highest performing primary schools in the town.

“When the school was struggling, we found that staff development and progress had long been neglected – and that in turn had a significant impact on learning, so we introduced a tailored package of continuous professional development for all members of staff.”

WPAT chief executive Louise Smith said: “We are delighted that one of our schools have achieved this award.

“Chris and his team are to be congratulated for their tireless hard work to raise standards for all of our children and their families.”