The Government has released this year's primary school league tables. Reporter STEPHANIE TYE takes a look at the figures.

PUPILS and staff at Wanborough Primary School are celebrating after discovering they are the best performing school in Swindon borough.

The school has achieved 100 per cent pass rate at Key Stage level four in English, maths and science.

It has been named among the top 200 primary schools in the country in this year's primary school league tables, which are released today.

But while Swindon as a borough has improved on last year, teachers and unions are warning that the league tables only provide a snapshot of a school and should be looked at with caution.

Every May, 11-year-olds across the country take Key Stage 2 SATs in English, maths and science.

The results are added together and an average points score is collated out of 300.

This year, Swindon's average points score is 242 - which is the national average.

It means the town is ranked 73 out of the 150 local education authorities in the country.

The figure is an increase since last year when Swindon fell below the national average for the first time since 2001, and was rated at 87 out of 150.

This year the national average per cent of children achieving level four in English, maths and science is 79 per cent, 76 per cent and 87 per cent respectively.

In Swindon the average results for the three subjects are 78 per cent, 76 per cent and 88 per cent.

According to the tables, Penhill Primary School is the worst performing school in Swindon for the sixth year running.

Pupils at Wanborough Primary School all passed their exams with flying colours.

Headteacher Chris Davis said they were delighted with the results.

"It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people," he said.

"We are all very pleased for the children as they have done extremely well, but also for their parents and staff who worked so hard to support them."

Mr Davis, who has been headteacher for two years, said that the school was lucky as they had a "particularly good cohort" last year.

"We know that every school in Swindon works very hard to achieve good results, and it all came together for us," he said.

"It is pleasing for the students as they now have a firm basis for the next stage of their education and they can build on that at secondary school."

The town's truancy figure is 0.4 per cent is below the national average, meaning more children are attending class each day in the town than the national average figure of 0.5 per cent.

Record numbers

RECORD numbers of 11-year-olds are reaching the expected standard for their age group in national curriculum tests, the Government announced today.

Levels of achievement nationally in the core subjects of English, maths and science at Key Stage 2 are at their highest yet, the DfES said.

According to new primary school league tables, 76 per cent of 11-year-olds achieved the expected target of Level 4 in mathematics, in England, up on per cent from last year.

Standards in science also increased slightly, also up one per cent to 87 per cent this year, compared to 86 per cent in 2005.

In English, 79 per cent achieved the target, the same number as last year.

The latest results also show that previously low attaining schools, where less than 65 per cent of pupils were achieving Level 4, are now closing the gap.

Whereas in 1997 nearly half of primary schools were achieving below the 65 per cent target in maths, now fewer than one in five are doing so.

In English, one in eight schools are achieving below the target, compared to just under half in 1997.