PUPILS at a North-East school where a boy collapsed and died during a maths examination have not received official results for the test, it was revealed last night.

Another school did not receive achievements in its English test because the papers were lost in the post, the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) told The Northern Echo.

The revelations came as the DfEE published league tables for primary school pupils in the region sitting Standard Achievement Tests (Sats) in English, maths and science.

It showed students at Shield Row Primary School, in Stanley, County Durham, achieved 90 per cent successes in science and English, but no mark was recorded for maths.

Eleven-year-old Leslie Elkington fell ill while taking his maths test at the school in May.

Headteacher Eric Patterson said pupils had been too traumatised to carry on with the test and had been due to sit the second paper the next day, but that was postponed.

He said: "The tragedy occurred during the first maths paper and the second paper was to be sat the next day.

"We felt it was too raw for the children to sit a test because they were not ready for it. Instead, we had a memorial service for Leslie and then closed the school at lunchtime and allowed the pupils to go home. We just felt it was not right for them to do the test."

Mr Patterson said the children sat a maths exam the following week, working under Sats conditions, but, because of regulations imposed by the DfEE and examining board QCA, the results were not recognised officially.

He said the results were used internally and it appeared the scores were on level with results gained in English and science.

A spokeman for Redcar and Cleveland local education authority (LEA) said no results were recorded in English at Beech Grove School, in South Bank, Teesside, because papers were lost in transit.

He said: "The council and school are extremely upset at what has happened.

"It is a great concern that the school and the children will not know the outcome of the tests.

"Both the English reading and writing papers were completed and dispatched by the school, and now we have been told they were lost in the post."

Elsewhere, it was good news for primary schools in the North-East with many showing massive improvements in results.

Six schools in North Yorkshire achieved 100 per cent passes in all three subjects and Durham LEA had four schools gaining the same success.

Witton Gilbert primary and Staindrop C of E school, both in County Durham, were named in the top 100 schools nationally based on value-added measures.

Staindrop headteacher Jennie Brown said: "I am thrilled to bits. We do our best for each and every child.

"I feel the achievement year on year for this school is the result of experienced teaching of good quality, not just in the final year, but at every stage."

Fylingdales school, in Whitby, North Yorkshire, showed a big improvement becoming top in its LEA league table, having ranked at 128th last year.

Elwick Hall, in Hartlepool, was the only school in its LEA area to gain 100 per cent rates in all three subjects and was anked first in the table compared to tenth a year ago.

In County Durham, Edmondsley school pupils are also celebrating after rising from 58 in Durham LEA's table to the top spot.