Top marks for two South Tyneside schools that have been named World Class

St Aloysius RC Federation in Hebburn has become the only primary school in the North East to achieve the highly sought-after award, which is used as a quality mark for those who have moved beyond their outstanding Ofsted rating.

The accreditation – which is enjoyed by just a handful of schools in the UK – was awarded to the school on Friday, December 13 at a ceremony at the University of Cambridge.

Secondary schools in the region, including St Wilfrid's in South Shields, St Anthony's in Sunderland and St Cuthbert's Newcastle were also given the award, after being nominated by colleagues from across the country.

St Aloysius was one of seven primary schools to travel to Reading for an assessment day where pupils put forward their case for accreditation.

They completed a detailed assessment on all aspects of school life against a checklist of more than 50 World Class standards.

The primary school is also one of 70 schools in the region taking part in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s North East Ambition Career Benchmarks Primary Pilot, which aims to build careers aspiration from an early age.

The pupils recently received a visit from BBC Look North presenter Jeff Brown, who inspired them with his career journey.

Headteacher, Nick Conway said he was “exceptionally proud” to see the school recognised with World Class status, he commented: “The World Class evaluators were exceptionally impressed with our whole school community and our excellent children. Over the last few years we have worked in very close collaboration with a variety of partners and this is truly a community achievement.”

He added: “We could not have achieved our transformation to world class without the loyal and generous support over the past few years from pupils, parents, staff, governors and our wider community. I would like to pay a special tribute in particular to our former priest Fr David Nixon, who inspired us with his commitment to excellence. We are grateful to all and very proud to serve the community of Hebburn and South Tyneside and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.”