A local Harrow primary school is celebrating after receiving an accolade from the Schools Minister for its achievements.

Whitefriars School in Wealdstone has been congratulated by Nick Gibb MP for being in the top 100 primary schools in the country for Key Stage 2 pupil progress over three years and pupil attainment in 2015.

Placing in the top 100 is no easy feat, as there are 16,766 primary schools nationally.

Just three years ago, Whitefriars School federated with Heathland, another primary school in South Harrow . At that time Whitefriars was near the bottom of the league tables but rapid improvement followed.

In 2014 the schools converted to be academies in a single trust on the basis of their excellent results.

In September 2015, Whitefriars welcomed its first cohort of Year 7 students as it grows to be a three to 18 through-school from nursery to sixth form in a new, landmark building .

Executive headteacher, Chris Spruce, said “We are delighted to be recognised as one of the most successful schools in England.

"Our students and staff team work very hard to achieve these results and we have fantastic support from parents. It all comes down to great teaching and high expectations.”

The popular school, with state-of-the art facilities, is oversubscribed but current expansion means that more young learners will have an opportunity to gain a place.