THREE North-East schools have been named among the best and most improved in the country.

Dunston Hill Community Primary, in Gateshead, and St Joseph's RC Infants, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, are among 220 schools recognised in Ofsted's annual report as being particularly successful in the last academic year.

Falla Park Community Primary, in Felling, Gateshead, was praised as one of 181 schools to have improved sufficiently to be taken off the special measures list during the year