GOVERNORS at a Runcorn school are celebrating after achieving a prestigious national award.

The governing body at Victoria Road Primary School is the first and only one in Halton to receive a Governor Mark.

This top accreditation is a quality standard and has only been awarded to 30 schools across the country.

It requires meticulous assessment against a detailed framework appraising all their responsibilities.

Head teacher Sue Taylor said: “It is a massive achievement. It is very very difficult to achieve.

“They care passionately about the school. I’m delighted with them.”

Governors, she said, played a vital role helping the school to gain a ‘good’ score from Ofsted inspectors in 2014 after ‘requiring improvement’ in November 2012.

She added: “The fact that everyone worked together to turn the school around is reflected in this award.

“We made rapid progress. It is testament to how hard they have worked.”

Governors are not paid and come from all walks of life.

Ex pupil Syd Broxton, a governor for 35 years, still reads to pupils every day.

Jayne Bamber, aged 47, a midwife, whose three children attended the school, is vice chairman of governors.

She said: “The enthusiasm of the governors is fantastic.

“They have given up every Saturday morning for a year to work on this.

“It is all about gathering evidence. You have to prove that what you have done has shown an impact on the school.”

They had to complete a series of 1,000 word evaluations and were personally scrutinised by assessors.

The 13 governors demonstrated how they help to enrich the curriculum.

For example, they developed an outdoor classroom in Queens Close where every pupil spends time with retired residents.

Jayne said: “They do gardening, cooking, read and write stories. It brings the community together and creates lots of learning opportunities.

“We do everything to a high standard. We want the best for these children.”