Revealed: the primary schools in Luton with the best reading, writing and maths attainment

Child filling out work book. Picture: Danny Lawson via PA

New data has revealed the Luton primary schools with the highest reading, writing and maths scores for 2022-23.

The National Association of Head Teachers said government investment is needed to help pupils recover from the pandemic, as figures show the proportion of students meeting the expected mark is well below pre-pandemic levels.

In Luton, Leagrave Primary School lead the way with 88% of eligible students achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in key stage two in the 2022-23 school year. It was followed by: Tennyson Road Primary School, where 87% of pupils met the standard; Hillborough Junior School, where 80% of pupils met the standard; Sacred Heart Primary School, where 73% of pupils met the standard; and Denbigh Primary School, where 72% of pupils met the standard.

However, school leaders' union the NAHT said ranking schools is simplistic and does not consider the context of the particular cohort or the community the school serves.

General secretary Paul Whiteman added: "No piece of data can provide an accurate picture of the effectiveness of schools, whose work goes far beyond that number, and league tables and ranking of schools should be scrapped.

"They can have damaging consequences and can actually be a barrier to improvement."

The Government aims for 90% of key stage two children to meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Overall in England, 60% of students met the standard in 2022-23 – up from 59% the year before but below 65% in 2018-19, before the pandemic.

While Mr Whiteman said key stage two tests can identify "broad concerns", he added government investment is ultimately needed to see improvements.

He said: "Ministers failed to provide anything like the funding recommended by the Government's education recovery tsar to help pupils recover from the pandemic."

A Department of Education spokesperson said: “We know the pandemic had a significant impact on education globally which is why we have made £5 billion available since 2020 for education recovery initiatives, including just under five million tutoring course starts to date supporting pupils in all corners of the country."