A PRIMARY school in a disadvantaged area of Dudley is proving that is no barrier to success by finishing in the top five of best performing schools in the borough.

Ninety-one per cent of children at Cradley CE Primary gained level four or above in the 2011 key stage two SATs for 11-year-olds, five per cent more than the last time the borough schools were included in the league tables.

Teachers across Dudley boycotted the national SATs tests in 2010 in protest against testing youngsters at the end of year six.

But children sat the exams in English and maths this summer and just four schools came out ahead of Cradley, including Lutley Primary School, Halesowen, which was second with 94 per cent of pupils gaining level four or above.

But two Halesowen schools also finished close to the bottom of the table, with Caslon Primary second from last with 38 per cent making the grade and Olive Hill Primary School third, with results showing a downward trend from 63 per cent in 2008 to 43 per cent this year.

Teachers at the troubled school threatened strike action earlier this year over claims of leadership mis-management, following which the headteacher quit.

Results for the borough show that 73 per cent of pupils achieved level four and above, a rise of two percentage points since 2009.

In English, 27 per cent of pupils achieved level five, which exceeds the national expectation.

Councillor Liz Walker, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Congratulations to all pupils, parents and teachers for their continued commitment, effort and achievements. These results show that a large percentage of pupils are meeting the national expectations.

“Many children are exceeding the national expectation but we will continue to focus our efforts on improving the standards and raise attainment for all our children in the primary phase.”