Two Wolverhampton primary schools among the country's best

St Bartholomew's C of E Primary School, in Penn, has been ranked 45th among the top 500 primary schools in this year's Sunday Times Schools Guide, while Manor Primary School in Woodcross is 185th.

The Guide, compiled using recent exam results, ranked St Bartholomew's after an impressive performance by pupils in 2015's SATs exams. The school moved up 44 places from 89th place in 2014 when 57 per cent of pupils achieved Level 5 or higher in reading, writing and maths, compared to 64 per cent last year.

The outstanding-rated school's headteacher Katy Kent said: "I'm very pleased of the achievement of the pupils and the staff – it reflects their dedication and hard work.

"It is as a result of personalised teaching programmes for all children and the belief across the school that everyone can achieve. In all aspects of school life the child is very firmly at the centre of all that we do."

There were also celebrations for Manor Primary School where 54 per cent of pupils achieved Level 5 or above in reading, writing and maths in 2015, up from 45 per cent the year before.

Anita Cliff, executive headteacher of Manor Multi Academy Trust, said: "It is wonderful to see Manor once again in the best performing schools list.

"It reflects the hard work and dedication of a very talented team at Manor Primary. Everyone is proud of the children's achievements and the amazing progress they have made."

Other Wolverhampton schools to make it into the top 500 based on attainment at GCSE and A-level include Wolverhampton Girls High School, which rose to 44th in the list of the top 500 state secondary schools after 73 per cent of grades were gained at A*, A or B, and 83 per cent of GCSEs were gained at A* or A.

Wolverhampton Grammar School was ranked 243rd among the top 400 independent secondary schools after 68.8 per cent of A-levels were passed at A*, A or B and 57 per cent of GCSEs were either A* or A. Tettenhall College rose to 393rd after 36 per cent of A-level grades were gained at A*, A or B and 28% of GCSEs were either A* or A.

Councillor Claire Darke, Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for education, said: "It is fantastic to see schools like St Bartholomew's and Manor Primary scoring so highly in the national rankings, and this is down to the dedication and hard work of the teachers, leadership teams, parents and pupils."

The Sunday Times Schools Guide identifies the highest achieving schools in the UK in a number of categories, including the top 500 English state primary schools, the top 500 state secondary schools, the top 400 independent secondary schools and the top 100 English preparatory schools.