FIVE Hounslow schools have been hailed among the best in the country by national inspectors for raising and maintaining high educational standards.

St Michael and St Martin Roman Catholic Primary and Chatsworth Junior School were both identified at primary level and were included among the top 220 schools in the country along with Heathland School, St Mark's School and Gumley House Roman Catholic School at secondary level.

The successes come with the publication of the annual report by Ofsted, the schools inspectors which visited 3,500 places of education across Britain.

Each of the four Hounslow schools were described as particularly successful'' by inspectors and received a very good' rating in their assessments.

The procedures in place for monitoring pupils' progress at Chatsworth were praised and the leadership and management also received top marks along with the attainment levels in English, maths and science.

Julia Chia, head teacher, said: I'm delighted that the hard work and commitment of staff, pupils, governing bodies and parents has been recognised.

Our supportive community works closely together to meet our high expectations for the development of our children.''

Chairman of the school governors, Angela Bauwens, added: I am thrilled that such a prestigious and well-deserved commendation has been given to Julia and the staff.''

Similarly, the teaching levels at Gumley House were described as very good and high standards are consistently attained, especially at GCSE level.

The leadership at the school was described as clear, caring and effective'', while the personal development of pupils is encouraged and well supported.

We're delighted to receive Ofsted's accolade of being a particularly successful school,'' said acting Headteacher at Gumley House, Ewa Kolczynska.

Of course, for those who already know Gumley, this will come as no surprise. But it is the formal recognition of the dedication of our teaching and non-teaching staff, the support of the governors, the loyalty of our parents and the positive attitudes of our girls. It is a tribute to the Gumley community as a whole!''

The Heathland School was awarded an Achievement award for Excellence' in March 2001 by the DfES and the exam results achieved at the school have been consistently above average.

Here the pupils were also singled out for praise, especially their mature, responsible and courteous'' attitude towards schooling.

The leadership of head teacher, Mr H Pattar, was hailed as outstanding, and after the news, he said he was delighted at the report and the recognition.

It is a well-deserved tribute for the tremendous commitment that teaching and support staff make to the Heathland School,'' he added.

Pupils show great commitment to their work and their future careers and I am very pleased that this has been recognised as well.''

With 1,167 pupils on its roll, St Mark's is an above-average sized secondary. Headteacher, Paul Enright, said he is delighted at the public recognition for the school.

It is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of the staff at the school and the positive, supportive attitude of our pupils and parents,'' he added.

Above average standards in English are consistently attained by pupils at St Michael and St Martin School and the positive attitude displayed by pupils towards the school are also a key factor in the school's success, the report stated.

Sister Pauline Fenton OBE, the head teacher, explained that the school has always kept traditional values and the Christian ethos permeates every aspect of school life.

She added: Our children are delightful and a pleasure to teach whilst their parents are very supportive in every kind of way.

We have a superb richness of cultures in our school and 50 per cent of our pupils are multi-ethnic. The staff and governing body are highly committed and conscientious.

In all, this announcement shows just how well the school works with parents and that is the reason why we are doing so well,'' she concluded.