A SCHOOL which only opened in September last year is already proving to be first class.

The Olive School in Bolton has been placed in the top three per cent of schools nationally for the performance of its Year One pupils in this year’s phonics screening check.

Phonics is is a method of teaching children to read by linking sounds.

Ninety-eight per cent of pupils at the Waterloo Street school who took the Year One phonics screening test reached or exceeded the pass mark, described as an “outstanding achievement” by Minister of State for School Standards Nick Gibb.

In a letter congratulating the school on its pupils’ achievement Mr Gibb said: “Your success in teaching phonics means your pupils are developing a firm foundation in reading, from which they can become increasingly fluent and develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Phonic decoding is one of the most widely recognised and successful approaches to teaching young children to read. The phonics screening check is a short assessment of pupils’ phonics skills at the end of Year One.

The Olive School’s phonics result – its first ever – vastly exceeds the national average in the 2017 test, where just over 81 per cent of children met expected standards in phonics decoding.

Dawn Forshaw, principal said: “It’s incredibly satisfying that our first ever cohort of Year One pupils achieved a 98 per cent pass rate in the 2017 Phonics Screening Check.

“This demonstrates the high expectations that we have at The Olive School and our relentless drive to ensure that all children achieve the very highest standards.

“Whilst it is fantastic to see children doing so well in securing these early reading skills, we are also determined to instil in them a love of reading, and we know that our parents will work with us to achieve this.”

The Olive School, Bolton in Waterloo Street is a free school for pupils from 4 to 11 years. It is part of Tauheedul Education Trust, one of the UK’s multi-academy trusts. The Olive School currently has pupils in Reception, Year One and Year Two.