EAST Lancashire primary schools shot to the top of the class today after the government released the latest education league tables.

Five local primaries are among the top ten in Lancashire, while a further 149 can be found in the first 174 places of the 490-school league.

The tables are compiled using results from last year's National Curriculum exams for 11-year-old pupils who are tested in English, maths and science. The percentage of children who achieve level four, the level expected for their age, are listed alongside each school and combined to produce a ranking overall.

Among East Lancashire's elite is LaneshawBridge County Primary, which is joint seventh.

The head, Mrs Eileen Bleasdale, said: "I'm thrilled we have achieved this position in the list but featuring so high in the league is not our top priority. We simply aim to offer all our pupils the best education and widest possible opportunities.

"This high achievement reflects the standard and quality of both teaching and learning at this school, though we are realistic enough to realise that it is not always possible to performance so well every year."

Burnley's Stoneyholme County Primary was singled out for praise by Education Secretary David Blunkett and included in a list of the 100 most improved schools in Britain after increasing the number of children achieving level four in the tests by almost 80 per cent in the past two years. The school is ranked 100th in Lancashire this year, with 63 per cent of pupils achieving level four in English, 48 per cent in maths and 74 per cent in science.

Headteacher Colin Wills said: "We're surprised but naturally extremely pleased with the results. We knew we had done very well in last year's tests but never expected this.

"There has been a lot of hard work at the school over the last few years in terms of teaching and the support of parents and dedication of pupils. I'm very pleased."

Chairman of Lancashire County Council's Education and Cultural Services Committee Hazel Harding said she welcomed the news but urged parents to judge schools on a wider range of information.

"Our schools should feel proud of these excellent results. They are the result of hard work and dedication on the part of headteachers, staff and governing bodies throughout the county.

"But the number of pupils achieving level four will vary from school to school because they have very different intakes and some have a higher proportion of pupils with special needs.

"These schools are actually performing much better than the numbers suggest and for their pupils, level three may be a major achievement."

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