HIGH achievers in South Cheshire's primary schools are out-performing their counterparts in other areas of the country.

In the latest performance tables published for Key Stage Two tests in maths, English and science, nearly three quarters of the district's schools beat the national average for 10 and 11-year-olds.

Many schools were celebrating improvements on last year's results, proving that education in South Cheshire gives children a head start.

The tables are based on the combined percentage score of pupils achieving Level Four or higher in the three core subjects, marked out of 300.

Since last year, schools have also had a 'value-added' rating, calculated to show how much children are developing from the time they start primary school.

Although some argue that national tests for Year 6 pupils place too much pressure on youngsters and do not give a fair reflection on education standards, many primary schools are proud to show what their children achieve before heading off into secondary education.

While its aggregate score in all three subjects was down on previous years, Smallwood Church of England Primary School in Sandbach stood out once again with 82% of pupils achieving the higher Level Five standard in English and 88% in mathematics. Its 'value-added' rating was also in the top 5% nationwide.

Sound Primary near Nantwich showed the highest aggregate score in the area, scoring 293 out of the 300.

Schools in Haslington had a bumper year with Haslington Primary improving its results by 10% on last year and The Dingle School celebrating an overall score of 288.

Leighton Primary in Crewe also rated highly, narrowly missing out on reaching the top 5% of 'value-added' ratings and scoring 286 overall.

Cheshire County Council education executive head, Cllr David Rowlands said: 'Yet again pupils have performed extremely well and we have more reason to pay tribute to the dedication and capabilities of those who teach them.

'Having said that, it is important to stress that there is more to a good school than academic achievement.'

The tables relate to all local authoritymaintained primary and middle schools with pupils eligible for assessment at the time of the tests in May.

They do not include special schools, pupil referral units, hospital schools or independent schools.