A VILLAGE school is celebrating after scoring top marks in the latest league tables to be published.

Highfields Primary School in Colchester Road, Lawford, has proved it is top of the class with its achievements in the primary school league tables.

Hilary Cook, head teacher at the school, said: "Our Sats results were very encouraging and for the past two years have shown a good steady upward trend."

The primary school league tables were published last week.

Performance of schools is rated in two main ways: the Government measures the percentage of children getting level four or above in the key stage two exams known as Sats.

schools are also given a value-added measure, which is worked out by comparing pupils' Sats results with their scores in key stage one exams, taken when they are seven.

A score of 100 means pupils are on target, a score of 99 means pupils are on average a term behind where they should be.

At Highfields the value added score was 100.9, which placed the school 65th out of 365 Essex schools.

"We were fourth in the value added ranking of the 18 Tendring schools reported by the paper last Friday.

"We were one of five schools in the 18 who gained 100 per cent level four in science," Mrs Cook said.

The great scores are not the only thing the school is celebrating.

This term it was awarded Healthy Schools status, which means it fulfils the requirements in personal, social and health education including the physical education and well being of every pupil.

"We have also recently won an award from the Schools Sports Partnership in recognition of high achievement in raising the profile of physical activity and promoting quality physical education.

"A huge range of extra curricular clubs take place and last year 93 per cent of our pupils took part in one or more of these."

She said the school's ethos was one of encouraging a broad and balanced curriculum to enable pupils to flourish in subjects like sport, art and music which raised their self esteem.

"In line with our desire to promote environmental awareness and links to different curriculum areas, Highfields has recently become part of the Eco Friendly Schools programme.

"We have over the last year, established paper recycling within the school and set up a vegetable garden thus gaining the bronze award.

"Now we are working towards the silver medal and are continuing to promote a sense of responsibility for improving the school and the wider environment of Lawford and Manningtree."