SWINDON has been praised for its league table performance by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Primary schools across the town have improved in all three core subjects, with the majority of children reaching the target level.

And Lord Andrew Adonis, parliamentary under-secretary for the DfES, sent a letter congratulating the council on the improvements.

"The results achieved by your primary schools since 2003 put your authority amongst the most improved in the country," he wrote.

Swindon Council's lead member for children services, Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), pictured, said: "Well done to all the schools and children for achieving this excellent result.

"They have worked extremely hard and I'm pleased their efforts have been recognised in these tables.

"We will continue our work with the schools to identify and support any individual pupils and groups that require more assistance to achieve these targets.

"I am confident that Swindon schools will continue to improve year on year."

Figures should come with health warning

MEMBERS of Swindon's teaching unions are warning people to treat league tables with caution.

Phil Baker, Swindon branch secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said that it was a crude way of measuring a school's performance.

"Yet again we have league tables being produced that do not tell the full story about what is taking place inside a school," he said.

"Often schools at the bottom of the table are producing a good quality of work with the students they have."

Peter Smith, Swindon secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said he thought it was time league tables were abolished.

"When they were introduced by a previous government, they were introduced as part of a wider scheme to promote competition between schools," he said.

"The idea was for some schools to float, others to sink - and that has happened, but to the detriment of pupils.

"It has just introduced market competition between schools."

Dick Mattick, Swindon branch secretary for the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) thinks that the tables can be unfair.

"Given the two schools that are at the top and bottom I'm not sure it has as much to do with the school's performance as the social environment that the pupils are coming from," he said.

"To be continually at the bottom of the league table, like Penhill Primary, is depressing."

And he said it made it difficult for schools to attract new pupils.

"If you are a caring parent you will look at the league tables and think - that looks like a good school, I'll send my child there," he said.

"But it does not necessary reflect the standard of teaching at the school."