Ofsted's annual report for 1999 lists 99 primary, middle and nursery schools as being particularly successful.

"In these schools pupils achieve high standards in literacy and numeracy and make an excellent start to their education," said the chief inspector, Chris Woodhead. Click here for the full list

Easington Lane Primary School, Houghton le Spring. LEA: Sunderland

There was one topic of conversation in the staffroom at Easington Lane on the eve of Ofsted's annual report: how they had come to be in the list of outstanding primary schools.

"We think one of the things is teamwork," said the headteacher, Gillian Beddowes.

"We have a really good staff atmosphere, we talk openly about things."

The 11 teachers - a mix of experienced hands and newcomers to the profession - actively monitor each other's lessons, and they can all take criticism meant in a supportive way.

It is something the government would like to see in all schools.

"They are trying to push people into monitoring, and into teachers having a role - a co-ordinator maybe with a responsibility for science knowing what's going on in the subject," Mrs Beddowes said.

Support staff

"But also given the time to do that - which is where my bit comes in."

The school has also used part of its budget to buy in support staff. In a typical week there will be 10 non-teaching assistants to help out, with every infant class getting help each morning in tackling the literacy hour and daily maths lesson.

The school also maintains good links with Sunderland University, taking students on teaching practice.

This has paid off in terms of recruitment.

"We've had a couple of teachers from there that have been students with us and we've brought them on and they have ended up staying, and they've been excellent," said Mrs Beddowes.

Parents are supportive.

"They help with the homework, they come in when there's a problem, we contact them and they do want their children to do well.

"The governors are the same. They don't work against us they work with us. It's just the whole team really."

Name	LEA
Alexandra Infant School, Kingston-upon-Thames	Kingston-upon-Thames
All Saints CE Infant School, Ranton	Staffordshire
Ardleigh Green Junior School, Hornchurch	Havering
Avonmore Primary School, West Kensington	Hammersmith and Fulham
Axbridge Church of England First School, Axbridge	Somerset
Bailey Green First School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne	North Tyneside
Balfour Junior School, Chatham	Medway
Bathford CE Primary School, Bathford	Bath and North East Somerset
Bognor Regis Nursery School, Bognor Regis	West Sussex
Broad Chalke CE First School, Broad Chalke	Wiltshire
Catfield CE First School, Catfield	Norfolk
Caverstede Nursery School, Paston	Peterborough, City of
Charles Kingsley's CE Primary School, Hook	Hampshire
Childhaven Nursery School, Scarborough	North Yorkshire
Church Aston Infant School, Newport	Telford and Wrekin
Cirencester Infant School, Cirencester	Gloucestershire
Clara Grant Primary School, Bow	Tower Hamlets
Clervaux Nursery School, Jarrow	South Tyneside
Crosshall Infant School, Eaton Ford	Cambridgeshire
Dinton CE First School, Dinton	Buckinghamshire
Dorridge Nursery and Infant School, Dorridge	Solihull
Easington Lane Primary School, Easington Lane	Sunderland
East Boldon County Infants' School, East Boldon	South Tyneside
Elangeni School, Chesham Bois	Buckinghamshire
Fordingbridge Infant School, Fordingbridge	Hampshire
Gorse Ride Junior School, Finchampstead	Wokingham
Gorsey Bank Primary School, Wilmslow	Cheshire
Gravenhurst Lower School, Gravenhurst	Bedfordshire
Halam CE Primary School, Halam	Nottinghamshire
Halterworth Community Primary School, Romsey	Hampshire
Hartford Manor Community Primary School, Hartford	Cheshire
Hatfield Crookesbroom Primary School, Hatfield	Doncaster
Heigham Park First School, Norwich	Norfolk
High Down Infant School, Portishead	North Somerset
Highnam Church of England Primary School, Highnam	Gloucestershire
Hunter's Bar Infant School, Sheffield	Sheffield
Husborne Crawley Lower School, Husborne Crawley	Bedfordshire
Ingoldsby Primary School, Grantham	Lincolnshire
John Keble Church of England Primary School, Winchester	Hampshire
Langdale Infant School, Clayton	Staffordshire
Leadgate Junior School, Leadgate	Durham
Limehurst High School, Loughborough	Leicestershire
Lowther Endowed School, Penrith	Cumbria
Manor Green Primary School, Haughton Green	Tameside
Marldon Church of England Primary School, Marldon	Devon
Millfields Nursery School, Walsall	Walsall
Murton Jubilee Primary School, Murton	Durham
Newbarns Primary School, Barrow-in-Furness	Cumbria
Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CE Primary School, Newchurch-in-Pendle	Lancashire
Nine Acres Primary School, Newport	Isle of Wight
Oakway Infant School, Wellingborough	Northamptonshire
Oatlands Infant School, Harrogate	North Yorkshire
Overleigh St Mary's CE Primary School, Handbridge	Cheshire
Pinner Wood Middle School, Pinner	Harrow
Polebrook Church of England Primary School, Polebrook	Northamptonshire
Poplars Community Primary School, Lowestoft	Suffolk
Roecliffe Church of England Primary School, York	North Yorkshire
Rosemary Lane Nursery School, Easington Village	Durham
Rowlands Gill Junior School, Rowlands Gill	Gateshead
Rumboldswhyke CE Infants' School, Whyke Road	West Sussex
Saint Charles RC Primary School, London	Kensington and Chelsea
Seaton Sluice First School, Seaton Sluice	Northumberland
Seria Service Children's School, BFPO 11	Service Children's Education
Shiremoor First School, Park Estate	North Tyneside
Simonside First School, Westerhope	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Sir James Knott Memorial Nursery School, Tynemouth	North Tyneside
Skelmersdale Holland Moor Primary School, Skelmersdale	Lancashire
Southbourne Infant School, Southbourne	West Sussex
Southwater Infant School, Southwater	West Sussex
St Alban and St Stephen RC Infant School, St Albans	Hertfordshire
St Bede's Catholic Infant School, Widnes	Halton
St Elphege's RC Infants' School, Roundshaw	Sutton
St James' CE Junior School, Tunbridge Wells	Kent
St John the Divine CE Junior, Mixed and Infant School, Camberwell New Road	Lambeth
St John's Catholic Infant School, Bebington	Wirral
St Marie's Catholic Primary School, Standish	Wigan
St Mark's CE Primary School, Bromley	Bromley
St Mary and St Pancras CE Primary School, London	Camden
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Eltham	Greenwich
St Monica's Catholic Primary School, Bootle	Sefton
St Sebastian's Catholic Junior, Mixed and Infant School, Liverpool	Liverpool
St Stephen's CE Primary School, London	Westminster
St Teresa's RC Primary School, Little Lever	Bolton
Stanley Junior School, Teddington	Richmond-upon-Thames
Sudbourne Primary School, Brixton	Lambeth
The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark	Southwark
Thomas Harding Junior School, Chesham	Buckinghamshire
Valley Primary School, Bromley	Bromley
Walbrook Nursery School, Derby	Derby, City of
Wall Hall Nursery School, The Wall Hall Campus	Hertfordshire
Walton Lane Nursery School, Nelson	Lancashire
Wellfield Infant and Nursery School, Sale	Trafford
Westfield Junior School, St Ives	Cambridgeshire
Westmoor First School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne	North Tyneside
William Gilbert Endowed CE Primary School, Duffield	Derbyshire
Wood End School, Harpenden	Hertfordshire
Woodfield Nursery School, Brierfield	Lancashire
Woodside Junior School, Amersham	Buckinghamshire
Wordsworth Infant School, Shirley	Southampton