The percentage of 11-year-olds in Norfolk hitting expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics has increased - but the county is still lagging below the national average.

Norfolk saw 59pc of year six pupils in the 432 primary schools and academies reaching the targets at the end of key stage 2 in 2017/18, up on the 57pc figure for the previous academic year.

However, despite the percentage increase, like last year, Norfolk was still below the national average of 64pc.

And the county did not fare as well as the neighbours in Suffolk, where 61pc of pupils reached the expected standard, up from 57pc last year.

Two Norfolk schools saw every pupil meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths - Garboldisham Church Primary School and Little Melton Primary School.

While 10pc of pupils in all England's schools were judged to be achieving at a 'higher standard' - with very high scores in reading and maths tests and assessed by teachers as working at a greater depth within expected targets in writing - in Norfolk that was only 7pc.

A Norfolk County Council spokesman said: 'The results released today show an improvement at key stage 2. 72pc of Norfolk pupils have reached the expected standard in reading and 71pc in mathematics (compared to 69pc in both subjects in 2017).

'In writing, 75pc of pupils achieved the expected standard, the same as in 2017. Improvement at key stage 2 continues to be a challenge in the county but we are offering extra support to schools where it is needed to further improve performance.'

While the number of schools nationally considered to be under-performing has decreased, 364 mainstream primaries in England fell below the primary school floor standard.

According to Press Association analysis of the data, 91,620 pupils are being taught at the under-performing primaries.

This represents around 2.1% of children at mainstream primary schools in England.

Schools are considered to be under-performing if fewer than 65% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, or if they fail to make sufficient progress in the three key areas.

The number of 'coasting' schools nationally - a measure which looks at results over the past three years - has risen to 640, up from 524 last year and 477 in 2016.

Schools come under this definition if, based on revised data for all of the past three years, fewer than 85% of pupils achieved the expected standard at the end of primary school and they failed to make sufficient progress in reading, maths and writing.

This year's figure equates to one in 20 of all schools included in the coasting calculation.

Earlier this year the DfE announced proposals aimed at ending confusion over how schools are measured.

The system of using the two standards - floor and coasting - to judge school performance will be replaced with a new single measure.