A north Norfolk school has been praised by a government minister of state for its high standards in reading.

Aldborough Primary, which lies between Aylsham and Holt, achieved 100pc in its key stage 2 reading tests.

Nick Gibb MP, minister of state for school standards, noted that the result put Aldborough in the top 1pc of schools nationally.

In his letter to headteacher Tina Casburn he said: 'Thank you for your hard work and professionalism in producing such high standards, and congratulations to you and your staff for all you have achieved.'

Mrs Casburn said: 'Reading should be a pleasure – we focus on that and it brings results. At the heart of our teaching is group reading – where pupils in small groups, led by an adult, read and discuss a book. We don't use reading schemes, we don't focus too much on phonics. It flies against most conventional thinking but, believe it or not, if you give a child decent books, and nurture their ability to really understand them, they actually enjoy reading.'

It's not the first time the school's reading has been noted. The UEA regularly sends groups of education students to see how the school teaches reading, and schools from other parts of Norfolk have come to learn about its unusual approach.