THE borough's primary schools have excelled in this year's national league tables.

The results of this summer's Key Stage 2 National Curriculum assessments, published yesterday, showed that high educational standards achieved by 11-year-olds have been maintained, with many schools performing above the national average.

Gilded Hollins school in Leigh is listed as one of the overall top 20 schools in the country, having achieved 100 per cent in all three curriculum areas, while Meadowbank in Atherton is named as one of the top 20 most improved schools, with an increase of 176 points since 1998. Higher Folds has also significantly improved, with an increase of 126 points.

Wigan LEA featured within the top 50 education authorities, having achieved a combined average score of 239.4, an increase of 6.5 compared to last year.

Wigan education chief, Cllr Brian Wilson, praised the high standards, but warned league tables often show more about the intake of the school rather than the standard of teaching and quality of the school itself.

Encouraging results

He said: "The most encouraging results are the improving level of achievements across our schools, which is thanks to the hard work of the teachers and pupils. But I always stress that league tables don't really tell you too much about the quality of the school, but more about it's intake. Even those at the bottom of the table are doing outstandingly well. Parents need to see and get a feel for a school before they decide whether it is right for their child."

Wigan Council's Director of Education, Bob Clark is already planning for next year: "We have seen sustained improvements in results at Key Stage 2 in Wigan now for the last six years. We still aspire to reach ambitious targets in 2002 -- 85 per cent of 11-year-olds gaining Level 4 or above in English and 80 per cent in maths."