Birstall Primary Academy praised for its teaching approach during Covid-19 pandemic as it ranks in top 20 per cent in the country

Birstall Primary Academy, which forms part of Focus Trust, scored more than 10 per cent higher than the national average in reading and maths in the first assessments since the start of the pandemic in 2020, producing scores in the high eighties in both core subjects.

The school’s vice principal, Jayde Weir, said the outcome reflected the well-founded remote teaching methods adopted throughout Covid-19, including providing live, online lessons for all children. This saw pupils tune in up to four times a day to be taught directly by their class teacher.

Once lockdown restrictions had eased, support and assistance was put in place to ensure that all children were able to catch up on any lost learning.

Jayde said: “Throughout the pandemic the staff worked tirelessly to provide a consistent education for our children and to minimise the impact of lockdown.

“We are of course absolutely thrilled by these results, and we are incredibly proud of the children.

“We are also extremely grateful to have had access to several resources that made this possible, such as the small group tuition initiative funded by the National Tutoring Fund which made it possible to provide additional tutoring to children in the core subjects outside of school hours.

“Operating this tutoring programme allowed staff to be personalised and fluid in their approach and quickly pick up any learning or gaps that needed additional time.”