THE number of primary school pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths has risen, official figures show.

Across England, 61% of around 600,000 11-year-olds who sat this year's Sats - or national curriculum tests - achieved the Government-expected standard, according to the Department for Education (DfE).

This compares with 53% in 2016, the first year of major changes to assessments.

School standards minister Nick Gibb said the results showed "teachers and pupils have responded well to the new, more rigorous curriculum".

The number of schools considered to be under-performing has also dropped, the figures show.

A total of 511 (4%) mainstream primary schools in England failed to meet the Government's floor standard this year, against 665 (5%) last year.

Schools are considered to be under-performing if fewer than 65% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, or if they fail to make sufficient progress in the three key areas.

Mr Gibb said: "Teachers and pupils have responded well to the new more rigorous curriculum introduced by this Government and these pupils were the first to benefit from the new approach to phonics."

He added: "There are now 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, with nine out of 10 primary schools given this rating at their last inspection - and our recent rise up the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) rankings puts the success of our reforms and the hard work of teachers on a global scale.

"This means that pupils are now leaving primary school better prepared for the rigours of secondary school and for future success in their education."

A breakdown of the figures shows wide variation in performance, with 1% of schools in London falling below the floor standard, compared with 5% in the South West and the Midlands.

Children eligible for free school meals are also less likely to succeed, with 43% achieving expected standards compared with 64% of all other pupils.

Overall, 9% achieved a high standard across all three years, the data shows.

Here is a list of the mainstream primary schools in the North-East that did not meet the Government's floor standard for performance in 2016/17.

  • St Helen Auckland Community Primary School, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
  • Seascape Primary School, Peterlee, County Durham
  • Bluebell Meadow Primary School, Trimdon Station, County Durham
  • Golden Flatts Primary School, Hartlepool, Hartlepool
  • Ayresome Primary School, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough
  • Thorntree Primary School, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough
  • Excelsior Academy, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Backworth Park Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside
  • Central Primary School, Ashington, Northumberland
  • Croftway Primary Academy, Blyth, Northumberland
  • Malvin's Close Primary Academy, Blyth, Northumberland
  • Ellington Primary School, Morpeth, Northumberland
  • James Calvert Spence College, Morpeth, Northumberland
  • Monkton Junior School, South Shields, South Tyneside