PRIMARY schools breathed a sigh of relief after successfully meeting national Key Stage 2 averages in this year's league tables, although improvements continue to miss the mark.

The Department of Education and Skills league tables, released on Wednesday last week, show that Hounslow's primary school children are keeping up with other Key Stage 2 candidates in England. The borough's schools scored above the country's achievement average for science by 0.9 percent, with a score of 87.9 per cent, but failed to meet the 75 per cent achievement average for English, scoring 73.6 per cent and falling short of a 71 per cent maths average by only 0.8 per cent.

The tables also show improvements to the Key Stage 2 results for the borough continue to lag behind other region's, this year missing the 233 point average by 1.3 per cent, although showing a gradual improvement on the previous year's shortfalls.

Kids at Chiswick's St Mary's RC Primary School had the most to celebrate, when their 11-year-olds efforts were rewarded with Hounslow's top ranking.

The school's 33 Key Stage 2 pupils totted-up an impressive 100 per cent average in maths and science, only missing out on a hat-trick with a 97 per cent average for English.

Meanwhile, Lionel Primary School in Brentford, Wellington Primary in Hounslow and The Smallberry Green Primary School in Isleworth saw their achievement levels drop, filling the bottom ranks of the tables. Key Stage 2 aggregates in the three schools showed a dramatic decline from last year, with the Lionel Road school dropping 40 points to 156, the Sutton Lane school losing 81 percentage points for an aggregate of 153 and the Turnpike Way school ranking last with a total of 152, a drop of 39 percentage points.

However, a Hounslow council education spokesman denied the schools were failing their pupils.

He said: "The results are generally good and there is no doubt they will keep improving, especially with the additional emphasis that is currently being placed on literacy and numeracy."