BOLTON has slipped down the national league table of primary school test results.

The borough fell from 48th last year to 69th this year in a table of the 150 local education authorities across the country.

The table is based on the percentage of 11-year-olds achieving Level Four in Key Stage 2 tests in English, maths and science.

Bury fared better than Bolton, coming 15th out of the 150 education authorities. Wigan came 39th and the Lancashire education authority 54th.

Bolton has also fallen below the national average in two of three core subjects, English and science. Last year it was better in all three.

In English, schools in Bolton schools achieved an average of 74.5 per cent, while nationally the figure was 75 per cent.

In science, the national figure was 86 per cent, while Bolton managed 85.6 per cent.

There was better news in maths. Bolton's overall average of 74.3 per cent was above the national average of 73 per cent.

Castle Hill Primary School, in Tonge Moor, is one school which has suffered this year. The school rose an impressive 41 places in the table in 2001, but this year their total percentage points from the three exams dropped by 80, from 232 to 152, out of a possible 300. They slipped from 61st in the local table to 98th and last.

Bolton's director of education, Margaret Blenkinsop, said despite the disappointment of Bolton dropping down the table, there had been some encouraging results.

She added: "I'm pleased with this year's results, but we need to set it in context and remember the importance of art, music and sport.

"It's sad for schools like Castle Hill, but you can't expect children to improve year on year. Different pupils gain different results and it doesn't mean the school hasn't worked hard."

She also said it was important to note that Bolton was striving to encourage the placing of pupils with disabilities and challenging behaviour in mainstream education, something which was not disclosed in the league tables.

The council's executive member for education, Cllr Linda Thomas, said the tables showed that Bolton schools were working hard to provide a high quality of education for their pupils.

Bolton is still below the national average for unauthorised absence. The town had a figure of 0.4 per cent, compared to the national average of 0.5 per cent.

This highlights the efforts of the education social work team and police officers in cracking down on truancy.