SCHOOLS from the borough made their mark when it came to down to basics.

Four schools have been awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark for the standard of teaching in reading and arithmetic.

They were St Michael's RC Primary in Whitefield; Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary in Unsworth; Holly Mount RC Primary in Greenmount; and Emmanuel Holcombe CE Primary.

Head teachers received framed awards last week from the director of the Basic Skills Agency Alan Wells.

The presentations mean that 11 schools in the borough have achieved the required standard.

To obtain the accolade, each school had to show assessors how pupils were being helped to achieve in literacy and numeracy.

St Michael's head teacher Norman Duffin said: "We were very pleased at this recognition of what has been a lot of hard work on the part of staff. It is a confirmation of the standards that we have in the school."

Councillor Steve Perkins, executive member for Lifelong Learning, said: "Once again it is well done to a group of our schools for achieving the extremely high standards necessary.

"To have so many schools now carrying the quality mark once again underlines the high quality of education now being provided to our youngsters."