BOLTON primary schools are falling behind their secondary counterparts in the quality and achievement stakes.

A survey of 32 primary school inspections carried out by OFSTED - the Office for Standards in Education - reveals Bolton is trailing behind colleagues in other parts of the country.

But in the secondary sector the position is reversed and, in many respects, Bolton is blazing a trail which puts it firmly in the premier league of the secondary sector.

In a report presented this week to members of the Quality and Regeneration Sub Committee, Jackie Green of the Strategy Division, highlighted Bolton schools' performance in four key areas considered by inspectors.

In the primary sector 35 per cent of schools were deemed good, compared with 53 per cent nationally. The quality of education in 41 per cent of schools is described as good - nationally the figure stands at 51 per cent - and in the efficiency stakes 56 per cent of schools' performance is good compared to 64 per cent nationally.

By comparison, a massive 89 per cent of Bolton's secondary schools provide a good quality of education - nationally the figure is 66 per cent - and 70 per cent of schools achieve good standards, compared to 60 per cent nationally.

In the ethos stakes, that is the spiritual, moral, cultural development of pupils, both the primary and secondary sectors score highly.

A massive 91 per cent of primary schools score highly in the ethos stakes - nationally this is 86 per cent - and in the secondary sector 80 per cent emerge as good in providing for pupils' social needs, compared to 74 per cent nationally.

Cllr Mrs Pauline Spencer, said: "The ethos of the primary schools scores highly and so our primary schools are doing a great deal in developing the cultural and social skills of pupils and increasing their confidence accordingly.

"I wonder if that groundwork is reflected in the higher than national performance in the secondary sector."

The Deputy Director of Education in Bolton, Mr Terry Piggott, said: "All secondary schools in Bolton have now been inspected and the number of schools providing a good or better quality of education is well above the national average.

"I would be very interested to know what the highest score in the country was. Surely our own performance puts us in the premier league."

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