A CHURCH of England primary school has been praised by the Diocese for its achievements.

St Paul's CE Primary in Kersal was recently presented with a certificate in recognition of its hard work by the chairman of the Manchester Diocese Board of Education, Bishop Michael Lewis.

The Nevile Road school, which is attended by pupils who live in Prestwich, was saved from closure last February after Salford Education Authority proposed a number of changes to its schools' structure.

Following the turnaround, St Paul's received a favourable Ofsted report from inspectors in which they highlighted good standards.

The Diocese certificate has been awarded in recognition of the school's achievement in religious education after the report stated that the school had a "warm, secure environment supported by very good and positive relationships; quality of collective worship and pupils' participation in worship, commitment to spiritual, moral and social development of pupils".

Headteacher Maureen Mundey said: "This award is testament to the dedication and hard work of the pupils and staff. Ofsted has judged it as a good school, recent SATs results are the best ever and now the Diocese has officially recognised the school's achievements. It's a fantastic success story."