ALMOST all Warrington primary schools inspected by Ofsted last year were judged good or outstanding, topping the north west league tables.

Ofsted has today announced its Annual Report for 2018/19, which ranks the performance of early years, schools, further education and skills, and social care providers.

Of all the primary schools inspected in the borough, 97 per cent were rated good or outstanding, compared with 80 per cent in Halton.

Warrington's secondary schools finished fifth across the north west, with 75 per cent earning the accolades, way above the 67 per cent average.

Cabinet member for children's services, Cllr Matt Smith said: "This is great news for Warrington and is a testament to the hard work our schools and teachers put into the education of each and every Warrington student.

"It’s fantastic to see that of the schools inspected in 2018/19, 97 per cent were ranked good or outstanding.

"We know the high expectations Ofsted inspectors have for teachers and students alike, so we’re delighted that the quality of our schools has shone through."

The report highlights that the proportion of pupils in Warrington reaching expected standards in key stage two is at 72 per cent, the third highest in the region.

Warrington's children’s services were also judged good for overall effectiveness.

Andrew Cook, Ofsted director for the north west, said: "In many parts of the north west, children are getting a good or outstanding education.

"Nine out of 10 primary schools in this region are good or better.

"As a former primary school headteacher, I know the importance of children getting off to a good start.

"We introduced a new way of inspecting at the beginning of this school year.

"It has a new focus on the curriculum and behaviour - the kind of issues that we know really matter to parents.

"And our inspection reports are written with parents in mind - telling them what it is like to be a child in school."