A VILLAGE school which has topped national tables for the second year in a row for the way it teaches reading, is celebrating after receiving praise from a Government minister.

Holy Trinity Primary in Great Cheverell, near Devizes, has come in the top two per cent of schools in the country for the way it teaches phonics and checks the progress of its pupils.

Nick Gibb, the minister of state for school reform, was so impressed with its performance he wrote to headteacher Mercedes Henning to praise the school's work.

He wrote: "I am writing to convey my warmest congratulations to you, your staff and your pupils for the very high standard of achievement in the 2015 phonics screening check."

This check tests children on their understanding of how letters are put together to create sounds and is an indicator of how well they will be able to read.

Mr Gibb said: "We want to ensure that every child develops a firm grasp of phonics, which is why I was so delighted to see your results. With 100 per cent of pupils at Holy Trinity reaching or exceeding the pass mark in the check, your school is in the top two per cent of all primary schools in the country."

He said figures showed that 99 per cent of pupils who reach or exceed the pass mark go on to achieve at least the expected standard in the Key Stage 1 reading. He wrote: "This underlines the importance of developing the ability to decode words effectively at an early age."

Mrs Henning said: "We have an extraordinarily talented team of teachers and support staff, who keep teaching and learning fun, creative and engaging, so we are able to keep the standards consistently at this outstandingly high level.

"But, while we are always delighted with our high academic achievements, we are just as proud of all the other achievements of our children. They are people of courage, compassion, aspiration and joy – and we believe that these qualities, ultimately, are even more important than their academic success.

"We are very grateful to all our staff, governors and families who make sure that our children are given the best possible start in life at Holy Trinity."