Greenwich and Lewisham are the best places in the country for the development of five-year-olds, a report has said.

A study by University College London, showed the two boroughs have bucked the national trend, where almost half of youngsters are not considered developed enough to be ready for school.

It showed the national figure for children achieving a good level of development - able to do things like count to 20, or write a letter to Father Christmas - at the end of reception was just 52 per cent in 2012/13.

By comparison, Greenwich was top in the whole country with 69 per cent, while Lewisham came second with 68 per cent.

Greenwich Council said its children's centres helped by boosting support for young children and their families. They also pointed to a free scheme called Together for Twos, promoting free early learning opportunities among parents on benefits or low income.

Cabinet member for children's services at Greenwich Council Councillor John Fahy said: "In Greenwich we place a strong emphasis on early learning in supporting children’s social and educational development, and despite severe cuts in government funding, we have worked hard to protect services for young children and their families.

"We have maintained our network of 24 children’s centres across the borough and these centres remain a key focus for the support that we provide for families, helping to give children from all parts of the community a good start in life.

"We also encourage our schools to share best practice and this is clearly bearing fruit."