School SATs results

A HEADTEACHER in the Fens put her primary school's success in this year's achievement and attainment tables down to having such a good group of children.

It comes after Tydd St Mary Church of England Primary School jumped from 132nd to third in Lincolnshire's rankings.

Every year six pupil at the school achieved at least a level four grade, the expected level of 11-year-olds, in the three core subjects.

Headteacher Ann Desborough also said the same crop of children achieved a good set of key stage one results in 2002.

"The children have worked extremely hard and they have had the support of staff and parents," she said.

"The teaching in school is good and we had introduced extra booster classes after school to help them achieve."

Science remained the most successful of the three core subjects nationally, with 87 per cent of 11-year-olds achieving the target level, compared to 79 per cent in English and 76 per cent in maths. That statistic was reflected elsewhere in gthe Fenls, with 13 schools achieving at least 90 per cent.

Three of these schools, Beaupre Primary School, Outwell, Kinderley Primary, Tydd St Giles, and West Walton Primary School, saw 100 per cent of year sixes achieve level four.

But Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: "Despite this progress, more needs to be done. We are determined to redouble our efforts to help the one in five 11-year-olds who are still not reaching the standard required of their age in literacy and mathematics."

Top of the tree in Cambridgeshire is the Alderman Jacobs Primary School, Whittlesey, followed in third place by Lionel Walden Primary School, Doddington.

Both schools were successful at obtaining no half days missed through truancy. Another 18 primary schools managed to keep unauthorised half-day absences under 0.5 per cent.

The worst marked school for truancy across Fenland though was the Orchards School, Wisbech, with 3.2 per cent of half days missed through unauthorised absence.