A league table showing the performance of primary schools in West Kent was released by the Department for Education this morning.

It shows the achievements of pupils in primary schools with a focus on reading, writing and maths, tested at the end of Key Stage 2.

A level 4 grade is the standard the children are expected to obtain in each subject and schools are expected to ensure at least 65% of pupils achieve this.

Many schools across Tonbridge and Malling performed above the national average.

All 26 eligible pupils at Offham Primary School, in Church Road, got a level 4 or higher in the three core subjects.

Similar success was seen at Mereworth Community Primary School, in The Street, where 97% of its 30 eligible pupils reached the standard.

They all passed the writing assessment and 97% earned a level 4 in maths and reading.

SS Peter and Paul C of E, in Leybourne’s Rectory Lane North, saw 94% of its 32 pupils make the grade in the three core subjects.

There was a 100% success rate in writing and 97% in both maths and reading.

The Discovery School, Kings Hill School, Lunsford Primary, West Malling C of E, Ryarsh Primary and Hadlow School all saw more than 90% of their pupils land a level 4 in the three subjects.

The worst performing school, according to the figures, was St Mark’s C of E in Eccles Row, Eccles, where 55% of its 22 eligble pupils got level 4 or higher across the board, although there was a 77% pass rate in maths.

Reading and writing saw 73% of exam takers get the grade needed.

Schools in the borough performed better than those in neighbouring Maidstone, where three mainstream schools struggled to meet the minimum standards.

The worst performing was Archbishop Courtenay, in Eccleston Road, which saw 45% of 29 pupils get level 4s across the board.

The Tree Tops Academy, in Brishing Lane, also saw less than half of its pupils, 48%, get level 4s in all three subjects and Sutton Valence Primary, in North Street, saw 53% of its pupils level 4s.

Across the county, primary schools are keeping pace with the national average.

According to the Department for Education’s data, 79% of children in Kent schools achieved level 4 - the government’s benchmark of achievement.

That is in line with the national figure.

When it comes to pupils achieving a “good” level 4 score, Kent saw 68% of children doing so, compared to 67% nationally.

Around one in four - 25% - achieved a higher level of achievement by securing level 5 - 1% more than the national average.

The SATs are designed to indicate whether children can spell properly, start to use grammatically complex sentences and employ joined up handwriting in English.

In maths they have to be able to multiply and divide whole numbers by 10 or 100 and use simple fractions and percentages.

Cllr Roger Gough (Con), KCC cabinet member for schools, said the improvement was a sign that primary schools were moving in the right direction.

To see the information in full visit: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/