THE BASIC Skills Agency has awarded its quality mark to Wallasey School. The school is the first in Wirral and is one of only 36 schools nationally to gain the award.

Said Deputy Head Mrs Theteen: "We are constantly reading in the press about poor levels of literacy and numeracy. At Wallasey School, we took action to combat this problem several years ago.

"Since then, we have developed a full school programme to improve the spelling, reading, writing and mental arithmetic of all our pupils. Last year, our initiative was supported by a £12,500 grant from the Basic Skills Agency. I am delighted that the quality of our programme has now gained national recognition."

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