MP praises work of Catterick Garrison school

Rishi with pupils and staff at Carnagill School, Catterick Garrison last month.

Rishi Sunak MP has praised the work done by a primary school to support its children during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During a visit to Carnagill Community Primary School on Catterick Garrison’s Leadmill Estate, Mr Sunak heard about the changes the school had made to provide a better learning environment and help all its pupils to thrive.

The MP visited every classroom during his tour of the school and held a Q&A session with some of the older pupils.

Headteacher Louise Newport said a major focus of the school’s efforts since her appointment as head in 2018 was to support the children in challenging circumstances.

The pandemic made it difficult to provide the emotional and mental health support improvements she aimed for and Carnagill had the additional challenge of the high number of pupils of Service families frequently moving to and from the Garrison community.

But all the staff had undergone specific training to meet the emotional and social needs of the children in their care which would enable them to make the most of the learning opportunities the school offered. Strategies were in place to ensure all children were supported appropriately.

Important improvements had been made to the fabric of the school buildings with repairs to the roof being funded by the Government.

Mrs Newport said: “It was a delight to welcome Rishi to Carnagill to celebrate the journey that the school has been on over the last few years.

“We were able to share our fantastic learning environment; the improvements to our emotional development and mental health support; and the work we have done to encourage children to be proud of their achievements.”

Mr Sunak said he was most impressed by the school, its staff and pupils.

“Mrs Newport and her team are clearly doing a great job to bring the best out of all their pupils. There was a great energy everywhere and it was good to hear how the school is implementing its plans to support pupils by creating the best learning environment it can.”

Carnagill converted to academy status in 2020. It is part of the Dales Academies Trust