NOT enough Oxfordshire children are reaching basic reading levels at the end of primary school.

That's the message from Oxfordshire County Council schools improvement cabinet member Melinda Tilley as this year's Key Stage 2 results are published.

While 85 per cent of county children reached the benchmark Level 4 in the reading tests, slightly higher than the national average of 84 per cent, Mrs Tilley said it was still far too low given the background of children in the county.

She said: “If any child can't read to the level necessary to get that mark, there's a real problem.”

There were 37 schools across the county where 100 per cent of pupils achieved Level 4 in reading.

Nationally, 1,310 schools fell below the Government's 'floor standards' for Key Stage 2, with less than 60 per cent of children reaching Level 4 in both subjects and failing to meet national averages in terms of progress.

There are 18 in the county.

It is difficult to compare this year's results to 2010 test scores, as a large number of schools boycotted the exams in 2010.

But in terms of the national picture compared to local improvements, scores were broadly similar, with the overall percentage of children in Oxfordshire achieving the levels in English and maths, 75 per cent, just above the national figure of 74 per cent.

In Oxfordshire, 83 per cent made the grade in English, and 81 per cent in maths, compared to a national average of 82 and 80 per cent.

There were also 15 of the county's 239 primary schools where all children managed to achieve Level 4 in both subjects.

In November, the council launched an education strategy aimed at driving up standards.