Children in Medway have the second lowest chance of going to a good or outstanding primary school compared to the whole country, according to Ofsted.

The annual report by school inspectors ranked Medway as the second worst performing area in the country for pupils attending good or outstanding primary schools.

One in three primary school pupils in the Towns was said to be attending a school that is “less than good”, meaning only 59% are in good schools.

That is in contrast to neighbouring Kent with 68%. The highest ranking area in the country, Darlington in County Durham, has 97%.

Medway is also behind some of London’s most disadvantaged boroughs on Ofsted’s ranking, including Haringey (85%) and Brent (76%).

The only area said to be worse than Medway is Wolverhampton in the West Midlands with 56%.

In comparison, Medway’s secondary schools are said to be in the top 30 in the country for pupils attending good or outstanding schools. The figure was 89%, while Kent was 81%.

The report said the Towns were one of seven areas where ‘focused inspections’ have taken place.

As previously reported in the Messenger, the Medway inspection took place in the summer with a blitz on 10 schools.

Chatham Grammar was placed in special measures and the Silverbank Centre, Chatham, was said to be inadequate. Of the remaining eight, six required improvement and two were rated good.

The report continued: “Last year, we criticised the lack of drive and initiative in some local authorities, and began focused inspections in many local areas where school performance had been poor.”

Inspectors blitzed Medway’s primary schools after it was revealed Year 6 results were the worst in the country.

The report said: “At the end of primary school, the percentage of pupils in the region as a whole attaining Level 4 or above in both English and mathematics was slightly above the English average but, within this, Medway had the lowest results in the country.”

Cllr Mike O’Brien, in charge of children’s services, said: “This is an annual report that refers to historic figures from 2012 and we have done much to improve our primary schools since then.

“Ofsted have acknowledged this and have told us that Medway’s primaries have improved faster over the past year than the national rate of improvement.

“This has led to an improvement in Ofsted ratings in primary schools and now more than 62% of Medway’s primary age children are at a school rated good or better.

“We fully appreciate there is more to do and are committed to continuing the pace of improvement brought about since Medway brought in a new director of children services last year, a new lead portfolio holder for children services and a portfolio holder for educational improvement this May.

“In relation to secondary schools, Medway is placed within the top band regionally and in a strong position nationally. It is very pleasing that this is being achieved.”