PUPILS and staff at Huntington School are celebrating its being named one of the top-performing secondary schools in the region.

The school was one of just a handful of schools in Yorkshire and Humberside to receive a letter from Schools Minister David Laws personally congratulating them for being among the top 100 secondaries nationally and among the top regionally for pupil progress between the end of primary school and GCSEs.

Writing to the head teacher, John Tomsett, Mr Laws said: “I would like to congratulate your staff, governors and pupils for their hard work and success and thank you for your leadership in continuing the drive towards high standards of educational achievement.”

In North Yorkshire, three Harrogate schools were also in the top 100 and also received a letter of congratulations. They were Harrogate Grammar School, St Aidan’s CE and St John Fisher RC.

At Huntington School, pupils Daniel Sewell, Rowan Todd, Jack Owen, Emily Roberts, Hope Price and Jamie Thompson were among the students who made the most progress between Key Stage 2 and their GCSEs and they are now studying in the sixth form.

Mr Tomsett said: “They are all great examples of what you can do if you work hard and are determined to succeed.

“To be in the top 100 schools nationally – and that’s including all the selective schools in the country – for students’ progress between the end of primary school and when the students take their GCSEs is tremendous news.

“David Laws’ letter is a welcome confirmation of what we already knew – that students at Huntington School receive an exceptionally effective education. We are generating a culture at Huntington School where talented students and equally talented staff genuinely believe there is no limit to what we can achieve.”