A NEW reading den has been created at the Grange Community Nursery and Primary School.

Children can choose from a selection of fiction and non-fiction high quality books and read them in a cosy environment.

Pupils read to each other, on their own or to Topsy, the school's new therapy dog who is still in training.

Staff, in collaboration with Weaver Trust, have transformed their Early Years provision to ensure it is innovative and inspiring.

All areas now focus on children's interests and are underpinned by key quality texts.

Sara Albiston, head of school said: “We are just so proud of the work that we have done across the school to improve our reading standards.

"We believe that quality teaching should begin immediately and therefore we have a huge focus on communication and language as soon as our children enter into our nursery.

"By working so closely with Weaver Trust for the past two years, we have now transformed our whole school reading curriculum, which has resulted in our KS2 results being the highest of all local schools, higher than the national average and the Cheshire West and Chester Council average.

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"We couldn’t be more proud of our journey and are so excited to maintain and improve this next year."

The Grange welcomes all children from the age of three, with the offer of 30 hours free funding if appropriate.