Solihull has been named the best area in the West Midlands when it comes to providing education for primary school pupils.

The borough came top of the list in tables released by education watchdog Ofsted, detailing how many pupils are attending a "good" or "outstanding" school in each of the region's 14 local authority areas.

The statistics reveal that, in Solihull, 89 per cent of pupils are at schools that have been rated by Ofsted as either good or outstanding - up five per cent compared to last year.

The figure means Solihull is out stripping the performance of primary schools nationally, with 84 per cent of the country's pupils at schools that have been given the thumbs-up by Ofsted.

It is bad news for Walsall, which came bottom of the list with 71 per cent of pupils in the area going to good or outstanding schools – a drop of three per cent compared to 2014.

Birmingham also fared badly in the tables, coming 12th of the 14 local authorities, with 78 per cent of pupils going to top schools – which was down two per cent compared to the 80 per cent it achieved last year.

But it was a slightly better picture for pupils attending secondary schools in Birmingham, with the city coming sixth, with 74 per cent of pupils in Years 7 to 11 in good or outstanding schools - up one per cent from 2014.

Worcestershire came out on top of the tables for secondary education, with 88 per cent of its pupils going to good or outstanding schools - up five per cent on last year.

Ofsted chiefs said that, while primary schools in the West Midlands were improving, children currently in Years 5 or 6 may not reap the benefits.

A spokesman said: "Weaker standards in the past mean that attainment for 11-year-olds at Key Stage 2 in 2015 in the West Midlands compares poorly with England as a whole with mathematics, reading and writing below the national level.

"This is also true for the progress students made between the age of seven at Key Stage 1 to the age of 11 at Key Stage 2 where a lower proportion of students make expected progress than they do nationally."

And he said the picture was bleak in terms of the region's GCSE success, with Wolverhampton and Sandwell being among the lowest attaining authorities in England.

Lorna Fitzjohn, Ofsted's West Midlands regional director, said: "Parents will be pleased to know that primary schools are improving and the result of this improvement is already being seen in better outcomes in the phonics test. But these gains will be lost for many pupils unless secondary schools raise their game.

"Stoke-on-Trent is one of the weakest performing areas for secondary schools in the country and this is having a direct impact on prospects for young people in that town.

"The region's strength lies in its colleges and other further education providers which have improved.

"Good colleges give many young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, a second chance. But more needs to be done by secondary schools so that fewer pupils fall behind in the first place.

"I am determined that we continue to focus our efforts on challenging and supporting schools and providers until they improve, shining a spotlight on those doing well, as well as those who need to do better.

"Inspection is just part of the path to improvement and we will not walk away."