THE primary school league tables published today will be a source of great pride and delight to many heads, teachers and parents as they walk across the playground this morning.

To others though they will make grim reading because they appear to show that some schools have failed.

Low marks in maths, English and science tests could be seen to be revealing a failure in meeting the standards the Government, and parents, might expect.

But do the tables tell the whole story of how successful a school is? Do they convey the dedication and commitment of the teachers and the hard work behind the scenes of the parents who help out in classrooms and raise extra funds?

Of course not.

The problem with assembling schools into tables is that it forces schools to compete for positions.

Academic results are everything and there is a danger the brightest pupils will become the focus of teachers' attention, or that problem children will be encouraged to go elsewhere in order that the average is kept up.

Not that we are suggesting those schools at the top of the table are guilty of this, it is just a danger inherent in a system that encourages schools to behave like football teams instead of educational establishments.

We make no apology for publishing the tables. Taken in the right context they are a useful indication of a school's performance.

What anyone reading the tables must take into account is that only spending time at a school and talking to its staff and parents will reveal its true nature. You can judge a school by its results, but you will not be getting an accurate reading.

Whatever your opinion of school league tables, it must be conceded that the general rise in standards is something the county can take pride in, especially when the poor funding Wiltshire receives is considered.