THE parents of young William Burtonwood are confident he has a bright future ahead of him thanks to the care and support he received from his primary school.

Mum Mandy cannot praise St Stephen and All Martyrs CE Primary School highly enough for bringing out the best in her son, who has special educational needs.

Yet only three years ago she was worried about to what the future held for him because he was constantly in trouble at his old school.

She said: “I withdrew him from the school he was at. The teachers were always ringing saying he had been naughty. It was all getting too much and we did not know what to do.”

Thanks to a glowing report from family members who had attended St Stephen and All Martyrs in Darcy Lever, she decided to send William there.

Soon after starting, William, aged 11, was referred for specialist help and was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder and autism and received a special educational needs statement.

He started in year three and finished school two weeks ago, having achieved the benchmark level four in his key stage four national curriculum tests.

Mrs Burtonwood, who lives in Tonge Moor, said: “I started to notice changes in his behaviour after six weeks and within 18 months he became a completely different boy. He still has his moments but thanks to the specialist support he has received at school, he is at the level he should be for his age.”

William who is to start Canon Slade School in September said: “School is fun and my teachers have been really good and I want to say thank you.”

Headteacher of the school in Radcliffe Road, Darcy Lever, Michael Cummins said: “At a time when schools face a level of criticism it is always good to get positive feedback of this nature.

“In this school we know the children and what works with them. The staff have a reputation for going above and beyond.”schaudhari@theboltonnews.co.uk