Survey reveals under-age drinking

At least one in seven secondary school pupils has tried illegal drugs while a fifth of 10 to 15-year-olds regularly get drunk, according to the Ofsted study.

Researchers questioned more than 100,000 pupils across England and found the biggest worry for most children was their exams. Ofsted's chief inspector of education Christine Gilbert urged ministers and schools to "look hard" at the findings.

"The survey presents much that is positive about life for children and young people today," she said. "However, it is also clear that more needs to be done to address children and young people's worries and concerns about how safe they feel, exams and tests, and what would help them learn better."

Ipsos Mori questioned 111,000 children in years six, eight and 10 at school for the "TellUs2" survey. The research was conducted for Ofsted and the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the results will form the basis for inspections and Government targets.

Among the key findings researchers found that 15% of children aged between 12 and 15 said they had experimented with illegal drugs, most often cannabis, but also heroin, cocaine, LSD and ecstasy.

Nearly half of 10 to 15-year-olds (48%) said they had consumed alcoholic drinks, with one in five claiming to have been drunk at least once in the past four weeks, while one in six 14 and 15-year-olds admitted to getting drunk at least three times in the previous four weeks.

The survey also revealed that children have mixed views about the quality of their own education. The vast majority - 79% called for more fun and interesting lessons.

Four out of 10 pupils said they wanted quieter and better-behaved classmates and many were stressed about their schoolwork.

Pupils' biggest worry was exams, with 51% naming this as a key concern. More than a quarter of older pupils were worried about sex and relationships.