A Hendon primary school has been named among the top 100 most improved schools in the country, according to figures published today.

St Joseph's RC Junior School, in Watford Way, topped the league table in Barnet for contextual value added (CVA) and came 69th nationally.

The CVA measure is based on pupils' individual progress between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and also takes into account the impact of external factors on individual students, such as whether they receive free school meals, what their first language is and whether they have been in care.

Headteacher Irene Ciapryna said: "We are extremely pleased. We have consistently got good results over the years. We have very good parental support and a supportive governing body, and we work as a community.

"We treat each child as an individual and personalise their learning, so the more able students are challenged and the less able get the support they need. We try to make learning fun so that children want to learn."

Summerside Primary School, in Crossway, Finchley, also had a marked improvement as 73 per cent of pupils gained level 4 or above in maths, compared to 58 per cent last year. In English, this rose from 63 per cent to 78 per cent, while in science, 84 per cent of pupils achieved the required level this year, compared to 73 per cent last year. The school did not, however, record an improved CVA score.

The Key Stage 2 exams are taken by children in Year 6 when they are ten or 11.

Results showed 85 per cent of Barnet pupils gained the required level 4 or above in English - the same result as last year while nationally the figure rose from 79 to 80 per cent.

Barnet stayed the same in maths also, with 82 per cent of pupils achieving the required level while nationally it rose by one per cent to 77.

It was only in science that there was an increase, with 91 per cent of pupils gaining the required level compared to 89 per cent the previous year. Nationally the increase was from 87 to 88 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Barnet Council said: "Barnet schools have performed exceptionally well, achieving well above the national average and the borough's statistical neighbours.

"We wholeheartedly congratulate all pupils and staff for their hard work and fantastic achievement."