Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has paid a visit to Farne Primary School to hear more about how the school’s motto – ‘Bring Out Your Brilliance’ – underpins everything the staff and pupils do.

Catherine was invited to visit the Newbiggin Hall-based school by headteacher, Mr Lee Gallon, after it was recently named by The Times as one of the ‘Top 10 Newcastle Schools’ for the third year in a row.

During her visit, Catherine was grilled by each class about her work as the pupils’ MP and on her views on a wide range of issues, from the situation in Syria, to whether we should have a woman Prime Minister.

Catherine also heard more about each the work of each class – including older year groups studying the Diary of Anne Frank to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, to pupils at the school’s Puffins nursery making Gruffalo muffins – as well as meeting with School Council members William and Caitlin, and receiving a tour of the school’s facilities, such as its newly-refurbished school kitchen and purpose-built sports hall.

Catherine said:

‘Farne Primary is such a lovely little school, which clearly works very hard to ensure its pupils have the highest standards of behaviour and achievement.

‘Speaking to the Farne pupils reminded me once again why being able to visit schools across my constituency is one of my favourite parts of being an MP, and how fortunate we are to have some really excellent schools across Newcastle North.’

Headteacher of Farne Primary, Lee Gallon, said:

‘We very much enjoyed Catherine’s visit to our school. Our pupils have been looking forward to it for some time, and I know they had prepared some very thoughtful questions to ask her.

‘During her time in school, Catherine inspired our pupils to think carefully about their own ambitions and hopes for their future careers, reminding them that anything is possible with a lot of hard work and determination to succeed.’