An education minister was joined by Watford MP Richard Harrington for a visit to two schools in the town.

Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State at the Department for Education, was welcomed to Watford Grammar School for Girls and Nascot Wood Junior School on June 6 where he toured the schools, before sitting down and meeting with a number of head teachers in Watford.

Mr Gibb spent the morning at Nascot Wood, meeting head teacher Christina Singh and deputy head teacher Simon Watts, as well as other staff and students. They spoke about the way the school prioritises student wellbeing and mental health - which has led to a near 98 per cent attendance rate and many pupils going on to attend top grammar and independent schools.

Watford Observer:

MP's Nick Gibb and Richard Harrington chat with pupils at Nascot Wood Junior School

Then it was time to go to Watford Grammar for Girls. Mr Harrington and Mr Gibb met head teacher Sylvia Tai and other head teachers in the area before sitting down and discussing the state of education in Watford. "Fantastic" GCSE and A-level results were recognised and Mr Gibb praised Watford Grammar's "very high academic standards".

2018 results showed that GCSE students at Watford Grammar for Girls (89 per cent), Watford Grammar for Boys (87 per cent) and Parmiters (79 per cent) achieved a grade 5 or higher (high C/low B) in English and Maths, compared to the Hertfordshire average of 53 per cent and national average of 40.2 per cent.

While A-level students in 2018 at Watford Grammar for Girls (B), Watford Grammar for Boys (B) and Parmiters (B+) averaged better grades than across Hertfordshire (C+) and England ( C+).

Mr Harrington said: "We’re lucky to have some of the best schools in the country in Watford, and so I asked Nick to come here to meet some of the amazing teachers that provide students with a first-class education.

"I’m incredibility proud of the mental health focus from teachers at Nascot Wood Junior, and I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact this has on student’s wellbeing. At a young age, children are learning how to cope with exam stress, which will help prepare for Secondary school and life beyond that.

"I also think it’s important that Ministers at the Department for Education engage regularly with teachers. I know that Nick found the roundtable with Watford’s headteachers so useful in that respect."