LEAGUE tables have revealed that Darlington has the best performing schools in the region.

The league tables, published by the Government's Department for Education and Skills, have shown that Darlington is ranked 35th out of the country's 150 local primary education authorities.

Earlier this year, Darlington won praise from the Government for its continued improvement in primary schools examination results.

Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, singled out the town for special mention in praise of its schools' performance in Key Stage Two examinations in English, mathematics and science.

Results in all three have improved significantly for the last three years and are now above the national average.

Darlington pupils aged ten and 11 improved two per cent in English and mathematics, with 76 per cent and 77 per cent gaining level four or above, against a national averages of 75 per cent and 71 per cent.

The town ranked 75th in the secondary school league table, with this year's GCSE results reaching a record high of 46 per cent of pupils gaining five A to C grades.

Hurworth Comprehensive School was ranked as among the top ten most improved schools in the country.

Councillor Eleanor Lister, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for education, said: "Our primary schools are high performers. They have shown they are capable of improving further on their consistently high levels of achievement.

"Our secondary schools are now performing at a higher level and that improvement will be further developed in the coming years."

Other local authorities in the region lagged behind Darlington, with Middlesbrough ranked 107th in the primary league table and 132nd in the secondary table.

Durham County Council ranked 52nd in the primary league table and 108th in the secondary, with Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, and Hartlepool also well behind Darlington.

Coun Lister said: "As a relatively small authority we do not get the same levels of funding as many of our neighbouring authorities, so our performance is a tribute to the hard work of the schools and their imaginative use of resources, and to the authority for ensuring that schools' money is spent in the classroom and not on red tape.