PRIMARY school leavers turned detective last week in a series of classes to aid their transition to secondary education. The year six children, from schools across Darlington, visited Hurworth School, where they took part in murder-mystery science labs.

A SENIOR politician said that education establishments across the country should follow the example of a North-East school.Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb visited Hurworth School Maths and Computing College, in Hurworth, near Darlington, yesterday, said that if every school in the UK followed its lead, problems in education would disappear.Mr Gibb toured the school, talked to student council members, staff and headteacher Dean Judson.Hurworth, where 96 per cent of pupils gained five A* to C GCSEs last summer, is in the top one per cent nationally at helping pupils improve.Mr Gibb said: "If we could get every school in the country to the standard of Hurworth, we would not have any problems in education.

YOUNGSTERS at a school near Darlington have been learning skills which could help create the next generation of community leaders.Pupils from Hurworth School Maths and Computing College have taken part in a course about effective school councils.

A SECONDARY school is celebrating receiving nation

AUTHOR GP Taylor opened a Darlington school's library after a refurbishment.Mr Taylor was at Dodmire Junior School, in Darlington, to open the library and give pupils a writing workshop. Pupils from other primary schools and secondary Hurworth School Maths and Computing College also attended.