THERE is good and bad news for parents of primary school children in the North-East today with the release of the annual league tables.

On the surface, primary schools across the two regions have scored their best ever English and maths results, with the science score remaining high.

Average English and maths results improved by one per cent, taking them to 79 per cent and 75 per cent, and science remains at 86 per cent.

However, some Local Education Authorities (LEAs) are struggling to get their pupils to achieve the Government standard of level four in the three core subjects and are continuing to battle against truancy.

The Primary School Achievement and Attainment Tables were produced by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

They findings are based on the Standard Assessment Tests (Sats) in English, maths and science, taken by seven to 11-year-olds.

The results show North Yorkshire is the most successful LEA from the North and is 24th out of 150 authorities.

Darlington follows at 46, Durham and Gateshead are ranked 54th and 55th and Sunderland is 86th.

It is a different matter for other LEAs in the North-East which are not performing as well, including Newcastle at 140th.

One school sure to be celebrating this morning, however, is St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School, in Esh village, Durham.

It has been named as Durham LEA's best school, after all its pupils taking last year's Sats achieved at least a level four in all three subjects.

It was also named by the DfES as one of the top 200 schools in the country for performance.

Sister Anna Ryan, of the school, said its success was down to "excellent teaching staff and supportive parents".

She said: "The league tables do not out pressure on us. We still teach the same way and have always achieved well. It is the children that are important."

Seven schools in County Durham, Sunderland and Gateshead LEA areas achieved 100 per cent for English, maths and science.

In stark contrast, Valley Road Community Primary School, in Sunderland, was named as one of the worst across the country for truancy.

It also featured in the lowest 200 schools in the country for its performance.

Only 50 per cent of its pupils taking Sats this year achieved at least a level four in English and only 45 per cent achieved the level in maths and science.

Two schools from Gateshead were also listed in the bottom 200 for performance -Tyne View Community Primary and Bede Community Primary.

One school did, however, feature in the list for the most improved schools in the country.

In 2002, Southwick Primary School, in Sunderland, had an average score for all three core subjects of 163. This year, that has increased to 240 -a rise of 77.

Gateshead LEA named St Joseph's Catholic Junior, in Birtley, as its best school this year. Sunderland LEA's best was Our Lady Queen of Peace RC Primary, in Houghton-le-Spring.