OAK View Academy pupils are aiming to be at the top of the UK Music Chart this Christmas after recording their version of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.

The school has soared the performance tables recently, going from being placed in ‘special measures’ by Ofsted, to being in the top five per cent in the country for progress in reading.

Now pupils and staff are aiming to reach the top of a different chart this Christmas and all to raise money to fund a speech and language therapist at the school.

Children in the school choir have recorded the Christmas favourite in a recording studio in Stoke-on-Trent and plan to reach the Top 30 in the singles chart in time for Santa.

Headteacher Fiona Rimmer said: “The children put so much effort into this song, it really shines through. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The underlying aim is to help raise the £100,000 needed to fund a speech and language therapist at the school for a minimum of three years. and it is hoped that during this period this service will become self-funding as it is rolled out to other local schools.

Kevin Hassett, school governor, came up with the idea of a Christmas single.

Kevin, who also volunteers with the Speak First charity, has seen first-hand the results of having speech therapists in nurseries.

He said: “Clearly children arriving at nursery aged three unable to speak puts them well behind the curve educationally and their consequent disengagement from learning leads to behavioural problems. which disrupt not only their own education but also that of all the children around them throughout their school careers.

“So please support our efforts to fund a speech therapist at Oak View and help improve the life chances of our pupils.”

The song will be released as a digital single, available for download only on Apple iTunes, Googleplay and Amazon on Friday, December 16. It is available for pre-order now.

Get regular updates on the progress up the charts through the school’s Twitter account OakViewAcademyChoir @Oakviewacademy1 or the Facebook page Oak View Academy – Winsford – Believe, Expect, Succeed.