SCHOOLS across East Lancashire blasted controversial league tables published today - despite doing well.

The Government tables showed most primary schools have raised their standards in English, maths and science in the last year.

But headteachers and governors have again criticised them for failing to show the whole picture and for being based on raw results.

Frank Shuttleworth, president of Blackburn and Darwen National Union of Teachers, said today: "This is a very negative approach.

"All they show is that schools in better off areas do well and those in less fortunate places don't.

"They also place teaching staff under unnecessary pressure and strain because schools doing wonderful work in poor areas do not get recognised.

"I do not believe parents take too much notice of them because at the end of the day they will send their child to a school in their neighbourhood and not hunt around for one with the best results."

But one school, St Paul's RC Primary, Feniscowles, Blackburn, was celebrating after coming top of the league in Lancashire with 100 per cent passes for all its pupils in the three core subjects.

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