Norfolk primary schools have leapt dozens of places in a government league table, a year after ministers summoned council education chiefs to Whitehall over concerns about standards.

Provisional Department for Education (DfE) statistics reveal 49pc of Norfolk pupils in their final year of primary school achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

The average across all 150 English local authorities was 52pc.

Norfolk was in 109th place in the league table, compared to 139th last year.

Suffolk and Cambridgeshire achieved 48pc and 51pc, respectively.

Cambridgeshire was in equal 105th place last year on the Key stage Two league table and Suffolk was in equal 118th place.

This year's test results are not directly comparable to previous years, because the government abolished the system where children were expected to reach a Level 4 in reading, writing and maths, and replaced it with a tougher system where they are expected to score 100 or more on a new scale.

Roger Smith, Norfolk County Council's chairman of children's services committee, said: 'It's encouraging that Norfolk has moved 41 places up the rankings.

'It is clear that more work is needed to see primary schools in Norfolk nudge up to and above the national average, but we are moving in the right direction and that's positive.'

Last year was the third year in a row Norfolk failed to narrow the gap with the England average for children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by the time they left primary school.

Following those results, the DfE named the area as the joint-eighth worst county in England and school standards minister Nick Gibb said he wanted to meet council education leaders at the worst performing authorities as 'a matter of urgency'.

Gordon Jones, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for children's services, education and skills, said: 'I would like to congratulate the pupils who took these tests and the staff who have worked hard to support them.'

Results for individual schools will be released in December.

Do you have an education story? Email education correspondent martin.george@archant.co.uk