Primary schools score top marks in league table

THE NUMBER of schools scoring full marks in this year's primary league tables has quadrupled, evidence of rapidly rising standards. This year, every child at 102 schools achieved the expected standard in English, maths and science tests. Last year, the figure was 27. Overall, more than three-quarters improved their test scores.

Ministers said the big leap in figures showed how well the Government's new literacy and numeracy strategies were working. But they do not explain the rise in the proportion reaching the expected standard in science, which is up almost as much as maths, without the use of any new government strategy. The figures for science are 78 per cent compared with 70 for English and 69 for maths.

As in previous years, small, church schools predominate among the top performers. But some of the most rapidly improving schools are in the inner cities. Only one has achieved a perfect score for four years, Shenington Church of England primary school near Banbury, Oxfordshire. This is a difficult score to reach because children who are absent on the day of the tests, even if they are ill, are counted as if they sat them.

At the other end of the scale, Ortonbrook primary school in Trafford, Greater Manchester, had a score of just 17, calculated by aggregating the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level in the three subjects. Last year, its score was 38 per cent.

Chris Pratt, the director of Trafford council, said: "These results should be seen in context. It was a very small group of 12 pupils. Three pupils had statements of special educational needs and two were in the process of being statemented. The school is in an area of severe deprivation and 80 per cent of the pupils on roll receive free school meals."

Sixty-five per cent of schools improved their English results and 78 per cent their maths results. Estelle Morris, the Schools minister, said: "Today's results show what can be achieved by committed teachers and pupils, and effective, well-supported national strategies. We know some schools in challenging circumstances made particularly impressive gains in literacy and numeracy."

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the tables were flawed. "Until we have some means of recognising the achievement of pupils for whom a lower level of progress is a real triumph, these tables will continue to present a distorted picture."

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said parents choosing schools just on league-table performance were "missing a wealth of riches in schools which do not appear to be doing as well". He added: "Tony Blair would do well to reflect on his belief that there is a culture of complacency in schools. These results give that view the lie."

The worst-performing local education authority was the London borough of Hackney. The best-performing, excluding the two smallest councils, was the London borough of Richmond upon Thames.