Fewer ten and 11-year-old pupils in the Bradford district achieved the benchmark grades in both English and maths this year, it was revealed today.

Results of Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests show the proportion of pupils achieving level four or above in the subjects fell from 73 per cent last year to 71 per cent this year.

National league tables compiled by the Department for Education show 120 of the 152 local education authorities achieved higher averages.

A total of 78 per cent of Bradford pupils achieved Level Four in English compared to the national average of 82 per cent. The same proportion, 78 per cent, of Bradford pupils achieved level four in maths, compared to the national figure of 80 per cent.

The Government today vowed to tackle "chronic" under-performance in primary education as official figures showed that more than 1,000 schools are failing to adequately teach the basics.

Data also released today revealed that 1,310 primary schools in England fell below the standard expected for English and maths.

A third of 11-year-olds are not achieving the results they should be in reading, writing and arithmetic, with one in ten boys leaving primary school with the reading age of a seven-year-old.

One of 14 boys also go on to secondary school with the writing age of a seven-year-old, the Department for Education figures showed.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "We are taking action to end years of chronic under-performance."

* See tomorrow's Telegraph & Argus for a breakdown of how each primary school in the district performed.