The best performing school in Cheshire saw nearly all its Year 6 pupils reaching the expected level in this year’s SATs.

At Lostock Hall Primary School, in Cheshire East, 94% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths this year.

As well as this, 18% of pupils reached a high standard in reading and maths and were working at greater depth in writing.

In 2016, the Government’s new, more challenging national curriculum, which was introduced in 2014, was assessed by new tests and interim frameworks for teacher assessment for the first time.

Results are no longer reported as levels: each pupil receives their test results as a scaled score and teacher assessments based on the standards in the interim framework.

Overall, 53% of pupils reached the new expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and 5% reached a high standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

Due to the changes in the curriculum, figures for 2016 are not comparable to those for earlier years. According to the Government, the expectations for pupils at the end of key stage 2 have been raised.

The expected standard in the tests is a scaled score of 100 or above.

Attainment at the expected standard in the tests is highest in grammar, punctuation and spelling at 72% and lowest in reading at 66%.

Nearly a quarter (74%) of pupils were assessed by teachers as working at the expected standard in writing, higher than in any of the test subjects.

The threshold for a high score in 2016 was set at 110. Achievement of a high score is highest in grammar, punctuation and spelling at 23% and lowest in mathematics at 17%. The percentage of pupils working at greater depth in writing is 15%.

Across England, 57% of girls achieve the expected standard in all of reading, writing and mathematics compared to 50% of boys.

Girls outperform boys at the expected standard in reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling and writing. The gap is largest in writing.

There is no difference in attainment in mathematics at the expected standard. In 2015, boys outperformed girls at level 4b or above in mathematics.

The highest performing local authorities are concentrated in London and parts of the North East and South East. The poorest performing areas are in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and East of England. This is a similar pattern to that seen in recent years.

The top 10 in Cheshire are:

Lostock Hall Primary School - expected standard 94%; high standard 18%

Wimboldsley Community Primary School - 92%; 23%

Goostrey Community Primary School - 91%; 6%

Woodfall Primary School, Little Neston - 90%; 22%

Delamere CofE Primary Academy - 88%; 13%

Acresfield Community Primary School, Upton - 88%; 8%

Nether Alderley Primary School - 86%; 29%

Chelford CofE Primary School - 86%; 14%

Adlington Primary School - - 86%; 0%

Aston by Sutton Primary School - 85%; 8%