CHILDREN in Bury are enjoying the best standards of secondary school education in the North West, new figures have revealed.

Schools watchdog Ofsted has published its first ever standards report for the region and it reveals that 95 per cent of pupils in Bury are being taught in good or outstanding secondary schools.

This compares to 67 per cent across the North West – with the report warning that some areas are seeing less than half of pupils attending good or outstanding schools.

Bury’s primary school standards are slightly lower than the regional average, with 80 per cent of key stage one and two pupils attending a good or outstanding school, compared to 83 per cent across the North West.

Cllr Gill Campbell, Bury Council’s cabinet member for children and families, said: “To be ranked top of the North West for good and outstanding secondary schools is a real piece of Christmas cheer.

“Ofsted’s report shows young people enjoy an excellent education in Bury, which is down to the hard work of staff and the students. We are very proud of them all.”

Michael Cladingbowl, Ofsted regional director for the North West, said he was delighted that the region’s primary schools and colleges were among the top performers nationally.

He added: “Much of the credit should go to teachers and leaders, whose hard work ensures that children are receiving the best education.

“However, there is still much to do. Children from poor families are being left behind and closing the achievement gap between these children and their more affluent peers is one of the most important challenges for our education system.

“I am determined to drive improvement through our inspections and improvement work.

“Ofsted inspectors will monitor, challenge and support those institutions that are underperforming and we will not walk away until education standards improve across the region.”