The number of primary schools in England which achieved the "perfect" test score of 300 this year was 178.

That compares with 179 last year and 148 the year before.

Three schools have managed 300 for each of the four years reported in the tables - something none did last year.

The "top" school - in having the largest number of pupils - was Henleaze Junior School, in a relatively prosperous residential area of Bristol.

All 97 of its Year 6 pupils performed at or above the level expected for their age in all three subjects.

The acting head teacher, Kathy Ellis, puts the emphasis on a happy atmosphere and a rich mix of extra-curricular activities, helped by the school's two football pitches.

Results quashed

Of the top 10 schools this year, none has managed to achieve a score of 300 before in recent years.

Last year's top school - South Farnham Community Junior in Surrey - missed out this year by just one point, scoring 299. The English test was the "weak link".

The national average was 234, compared with 233 last year.

At the other end of the table, one school scored nothing at all because its results were annulled for suspected cheating.

The head teacher of South Borough Primary School in Maidstone, Kent is on police bail after being arrested in November over an allegation of fraud - the first time there has been such an arrest relating to school test results.

At six other schools, some of the results were annulled.

Alternative measure

The school which got the worst results last year, St Radigund's in Dover, shot up this year, with an aggregate score of 114. A third of its pupils had special educational needs.

Another Kent school takes the dreaded bottom slot this year: little Hothfield Village primary - many of whose 12 pupils need special help with their learning - had a score of just 33 out of 300.

On the average point score (APS) - intended better to reflect the achievements of all the pupils - Hothfield fares slightly better than a few other schools, scoring 19.8.

The APS assigns points to those who otherwise would count for nothing - but is weighted to give most to those working above the expected level.

Coming up

The worst on that measure was South Benwell primary in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 23 pupils managing 19.5 points.

The best was Urchfont C of E Primary in Wiltshire, whose 11 pupils averaged 32.8 points.

It was also top last year, the first time this measure was used nationally by the Department for Education - although then it got 33.7 points.

The average APS across the country this year was 27.5, whereas last year it was 27.3.

Each year the Department for Education teases out of the data the top 100 "most improved" schools.

That is, those whose results have improved the most each year for the past four years.

Special needs

Top of the list this year is St Barnabas' C of E primary in Manchester - where almost three quarters of the pupils come from families poor enough to entitle them to free school meals.

The aggregate of its English, maths and science results has gone from just 64 in 1999 to 264 this year.

The incidence of special educational needs (SEN) in the tables ranges from nothing in the case of 1,237 schools - less than one in 10 of the total - up to 92.9%.

The average rate of special needs nationally in schools for which results are reported is 21.2%. Of the 90.8% of schools which have at least some SEN pupils it is 23.3%.

SEN cases tend to be fewer in the top-performing schools, the average being less than 10%.

Truancy

But the school in joint second place nationally, St George's RC primary in the north London borough of Enfield, recorded 19 of its 61 pupils as having special needs.

The other joint second school, Hook-with-Warsash Church of England primary in Southampton, had 21% with special needs.

And in fifth slot, St Joseph's RC Junior School in Hendon, in the north London borough of Barnet, had to give special help to a quarter of its 59 Year 6 pupils.

The school with the worst truancy rate was St John's Roman Catholic primary in a deprived area of Rochdale, with an "unauthorised absence" rate of 8.6%. It has many traveller and asylum-seeker pupils.

The national average was 0.5%.

There is a higher average rate of authorised absence - 5.4%. But one school - Blackboys Church of England primary in East Sussex - recorded 29.5%.

The next nearest was 12.2%.