Praise as schools in Black Country and Staffordshire celebrate success

Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell all saw improved results - but Walsall slid down the rankings. In Staffordshire, there was no change with the county retaining its position from the previous year.

The figures, which are published in annual league tables, reveal the performance of around 16,000 primaries in national curriculum tests – Sats – in reading and maths, as well as teacher assessments of pupils' writing skills.

Wolverhampton rose up to 69th position in the national rankings and became the Black Country's best performing local authority.

Staff and pupils at Manor Primary School are toasting another successful year after the school was once again named the city's top performer.

The school in Ettingshall Road, Coseley, was ranked top in the city, following on from last year's second place finish.

Pupils achieved an average points score of 31.4, with 100 per cent of them gaining at least level four in both the reading and maths tests, and in writing.

Headteacher Anita Cliff said maintaining the school's high standards had been 'a real team effort'.

"Our children have done exceptionally well," Mrs Cliff said. "We have a very talented staff, including some outstanding teachers and teaching assistants.

"They are well supported by parents and together we have created an environment where everything is done to make sure children thrive at the school."

Manor Primary was rated 'outstanding' in its last Ofsted inspection.

Primary schools in Dudley moved up to a share of 88th place in the national Key Stage Two tables.

Lutley Primary School in Halesowen was ranked fifth in the borough based on the percentage of pupils achieving level four or above in reading,writing and maths.

Headteacher Rebecca Cox said: "I am always pleased with the outcomes of the children because I know they will have tried their very best

Walsall didn't fare so well, sliding further down the rankings in the past year and now sits 147th of 152 local authorities in terms of pupils achieving the benchmark of level 4 or above in reading, writing and maths.

Ryders Hayes School in Pelsall came 13th in the borough, with 87 per cent of Key Stage Two pupils achieving level four in reading, writing and maths.

Headteacher Sally Miner, said: "We are delighted with the achievements of our children this year. They have done exceptionally well again and achieved some excellent results.

"The hard work of the children and staff has been helped by our partnerships with parents, whose support is vital to the school.

"At Ryders Hayes there is no gap in results achieved by vulnerable groups and some of our disadvantaged pupils have been really successful."

Sandwell improved its position in the primary school league tables to joint 88th.

St John Bosco Catholic Primary School was ranked fourth in the borough.

Headteacher Edward Masterson said: "We are delighted that the children have made the progress that they have, and that they have done as well as they possibly can."

Staffordshire's primary schools may have stood still in the league table this year, but pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary have continued to flourish.

All 10 youngsters who took Sat tests in reading and maths, as well as the writing assessment achieved at least Level Four, mirroring last year's results.

The school in Wharf Lane, Brewood, matched the achievements of the very best schools in Staffordshire, but finished 9th in the performance rankings by virtue of having less pupils eligible for assessment than some other schools.

Pupils achieved an average points score of 32, which again matched last year's results.

Headteacher Bernadette Corbett said she was delighted the school had maintained its success.

"The results are down to the hard work of our teachers and teaching assistants, and of course the efforts of the children who all tried so hard to achieve good results.

"At St Mary's we work with parents to support the children. It is great to see everyone's hard work paying off."

St Mary's is rated in the top one per cent of primary schools nationally.

County Councillor Ben Adams, cabinet member for education and skills welcomed the improved results. He said: "These initial results are looking very promising, and I am pleased that improvements have been made across reading, writing and maths.

"We want to ensure all pupils in Staffordshire are given a solid foundation on which to build upon in future years, both in education and ultimately in employment. Our Learning and Skills Strategy challenges every one of our 400 schools to be rated as 'good or outstanding' by Ofsted. We have seen some significant improvements in recent years, but we want to go further and move faster to collectively raise standards even more. I am clear that we need to ensure that high performance is consistent across all schools in the county.

"These results show that Staffordshire schools are definitely moving in the right direction. Ultimately, we want to ensure that every child in Staffordshire has the opportunity to attend an excellent school, fulfil their potential and be equipped with the skills and knowledge to lead fulfilling lives and rewarding careers."