St John's Primary School is a National Nurturing School.

St John's Primary School in Kearsley has become the borough's first National Nurturing School.

The award recognises the school places as much emphasis on the personal development of pupils as it does on the academic eduction, believing that the two go hand-in-hand to help all children achieve their potential.

Staff help to develop children's social skills, confidence and self-esteem which helps them ready to learn.

The school received a visit from the Bishop of Middleton The Rt Revd Mark Davies who congratulated them on the award.

He visited each class and met with staff and children to talk about how their 'nurture principles' aligned with the school's Christian values.

Each class at St John's hosted a Q&A session where they learnt more about Bishop Mark's role, his life and what inspired him to become a Bishop.

He congratulated it on becoming a National Nurturing School (Image: St John's Primary School, Kearsley)

He concluded his visit by leading a worship for the whole school where he talked about the significance of his Bishop's robes, ring and staff and how God loves everyone.

Headteacher at St John's, Suzanne Howard, said: "The children were transfixed by Bishop Mark and we feel truly blessed that he was able to take time out of his busy schedule to visit St John's to celebrate our recent award and to thank the children and staff for their hard work."