PRIMARY schools will continue to receive support to ensure children are given the best chance in life, as figures revealed some fell below target levels.

The annual report from education watchdog Ofsted lists establishments in the county which failed to meet the Government’s tougher standards for children aged seven to 11 (Key Stage 2).

They were judged on the number of children achieving at least Level 4 – the standard expected of the age group – in reading, writing and maths, with at least 60 per cent required to reach that level.

Dines Green Primary School in Worcester was one of the schools to fall below the floor level, returning 58 per cent.

Headteacher Stephen Gough said they narrowly missed the expected level and pointed to their progress in maths and reading, with both seeing 94 per cent of eligible pupils making two levels of progress, and 100 per cent of pupils succeeding in writing.

Mr Gough said: “We knew it would be touch and go. The difference was one child, one mark, one exam.”

He added: “It is very difficult to have those progress levels and still not get to the magical attainment level.”

Councillor Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for children and families, feels the county’s schools are making significant progress but more needs to be done to continue the improvement.

“Worcestershire's schools should be very proud of this, especially considering that we are one of the lowest funded authorities in the country,” she said.

“However, we are never complacent and continue to support schools to make sure that our children have the opportunity to achieve to the best of their ability.”

Abbey Park Middle School, in Pershore, scored 59 per cent but head teacher Lynn Evans said the figures did not reflect the school’s high proportion of children with special needs and the specialist provision they need.

“I believe Ofsted will still find us a good school when they visit us,” she added.

Great Malvern Primary School and Bosbury CE Primary School, near Ledbury, achieved 56 per cent and 55 per cent respectively, but the head teachers of both schools declined to comment.

Meanwhile, a number of high achieving schools saw 100 per cent of pupils achieve the standard.

Among them was Grimley and Holt CE Primary School, near Worcester.

Headteacher Helen Hoarle said: “We are thrilled with the children’s achievement.

“Not only did the children achieve the national standard of level 4, but 100 per cent achieved level 5 in reading and we are among the top one per cent of schools for reading achievement.

“Our motto is ‘excellence and excitement every day for every child’ and our friendly, dedicated staff team work hard to make sure that this happens.”

The Wyche CE Primary School, in Malvern, also scored full marks, with headteacher Geoff Rutherford saying: “To succeed in any area of life is deeply satisfying and we are, of course, delighted with our results this year.

“However, those who seek to analyse school data must appreciate the narrow nature of this assessment.”

Chloe Evans, headtacher of Pencombe CE Primary School, near Bromyard, said they were “very pleased” with their results and several pupils were put forward and achieved level 5.

Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School in Pershore was another to score 100 per cent.

A total of 767 schools fell below the floor standard, while in previous years they were rated on reading and writing combined to form overall English.