PRIMARY school children in the North-East and North Yorkshire are still falling short of education targets set by the Government.

About a fifth of 11-year-olds failed to pass the minimum standard, according to the results of their key stage tests in maths, English and science, published yesterday.

But across the northern region there were also notable success stories.

Hartlepool was named among the most improved authorities. North Yorkshire ranked 18th out of 150 local education authorities (LEAs), Stockton was 26th and Durham, Darlington and Gateshead ranked joint 53rd.

Last year, the Government set tough targets to drive up achievement in primary schools.

It aimed for 85 per cent of pupils to pass the minimum, known as level 4, in every LEA by next year.

In this region, about 80 per cent of 11-year-olds achieved level 4, about the same as the national average.

The latest results show slight improvements in maths and English nationally, but there is still much work to be done locally.

Meanwhile, David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, which represents the majority of primary headteachers, said yesterday the targets should be scrapped.

He said: "It is becoming increasingly difficult for schools to raise their game and reach the artificial targets set by the Government. There is, frankly, little chance of hitting next year's targets and to expect this of schools is wholly unreasonable."

A spokeswoman for Durham County Council said bosses were pleased with the results, which showed a marked improvement on last year.

She said Durham was the most deprived county in England, yet achieved beyond expectations.

She also said there had been significant improvements among boys, following two years of focusing on their attainments.

Keith Mitchell, director of education, said: "Once again our pupils, teachers and schools have come up trumps. We are really delighted."

Margaret Asquith, director of children's services at Darlington Borough Council, said that the key stage tests were important because they highlighted areas that needed improvement.

They could also predict how well pupils were likley to perform in their GCSEs.

The tests remain widely unpopular because they are used to rank schools against one another. School league tables are published in December.

The results of the tests of seven-year-olds in England also showed modest improvements.