Morning:
3°c
Children in a third of state schools suffer an education that is "mediocre or worse", Ofsted warned today.
A "stubborn core" of poor quality teachers is holding children back and too many pupils still leave school without basic reading, writing and maths.
In a critical final report on Labour's 12 years in power, Ofsted's chief inspector Christine Gilbert said despite improvements, progress had been "too slow".
Her last annual report to Parliament before next year's general election suggests the Government has some way to go before being able to claim it has delivered on its promise to create "world class" schools.
Ofsted now inspects every aspect of education and children's social services apart from universities. Ms Gilbert's report for 2008-09 found:
Inspectors rated 31 per cent of state schools as no better than satisfactory with six per cent of secondary schools judged to be failing.
One in five schools previously rated "good or outstanding" is now mediocre at best.
Teaching of basic English and maths is too often weak, and standards in science lessons remain among the worst.
The decline in the study of French, German and other languages in secondary schools, after ministers made the subjects optional, is "a continuing cause for concern".
Standards of behaviour were inadequate or only satisfactory in 20 per cent of secondary schools.
Ms Gilbert said the picture overall was more positive than in previous years, with fewer failing schools. But too many state schools, colleges and nurseries are "mediocre or worse". She said: "I am clear of the greatest challenge: to raise the quality of the provision that is only satisfactory to the level of good or outstanding."
Ms Gilbert singled out the failure to ensure children master the "three Rs" for her strongest criticism: "Too many young people leave school without adequate basic skills - and this can have a limiting effect on their whole lives."
She warned that too many teachers were not up to the job, leading to poor behaviour in class and more pupils playing truant. "There is still a stubborn core of inadequate teaching," she said. "Furthermore, too much teaching is just satisfactory and fails to inspire, challenge and extend children." Pupils from the poorest backgrounds often achieve the worst results but even in the most difficult circumstances schools can provide an outstanding education. Inspiring headteachers and a determination not to give up on children are key, the report said.
But the Government's flagship initiative for transforming weak comprehensives - the academies programme - is facing "considerable challenges". One in six of the privately-sponsored academies that Ofsted inspected over the past year was "inadequate".
How the system should change
Ofsted is itself facing criticism from councils, headteachers and MPs over the way it inspects services.
Council leaders claim the watchdog is more concerned with protecting its own reputation than children.
Chief inspector Christine Gilbert promised a new inspection system would focus more on scrutinising teachers and social workers, rather than relying on figures and targets.
The Standard revealed last year that Ofsted had praised Haringey for meeting child protection targets just weeks after Baby Peter died.
Ms Gilbert said: “We must focus our work on what is happening on the ground, continuing to take performance data into account, but spending more time, for example, talking to social workers and observing teaching in classrooms.”
Earlier this month, Ofsted was forced to admit making a “serious and deeply regrettable error” in failing to disclose potential evidence during Sharon Shoesmith's High Court challenge to her sacking.
Ms Shoesmith, 56, was dismissed from her £130,000-a-year post last December after a damning Ofsted report on her department's failings.
The former head of children's services at Haringey council wants the decision to sack her declared unlawful by the High Court.
Reader views (21)
Mediocre means average, doesn't it? So only one in three schools is average or worse than average? Meaning that the other two are better than average?
It's not a mathematical impossibility to have 2/3 of something better than average. It means that the bad are truly awful and the good are only slightly above average.
But more significantly, average is not a comparison with anything, it is not an objective measurement of quality.
This statement is spin. I deduce that things are so bad on all the objective measurements, that this was the only vaguely positive and truthful thing that they could find to say!
- Nigel, London
The reported poor standards in education are down to one thing - this government! - don't blame teachers the vast majority do there very best against a back ground of: continually moving goal posts - unrealistic target grades based on over inflated results from primary schools -unmotivated students with unsupportive parents - a government obsessed with change year on year - poor pay settlements - give us a break! I have never known staff moral to be so low!
- K.T., Hants
The problem comes down to two things Discipline and parents. There is a total breakdown of discipline in schools and parents condone the disruptive actions of their children. I personally know four teachers who came from Canada and the USA to teach in the U.K. One left after six months almost in a state of nervous breakdown because of the total lack of discipline in the classroom and lack of support by parents to stop the actions of their kids. Supervisors were reluctant to follow through with punishment. The other teacher just could not carry on for basically the same reasons. My nephew came to visit us in USA and could not believe how students in the classrooms were working silently, on their own volition, while their teacher was giving personal attention to a student. The sad thing is that these UK students will grow up with the same attitude but expect that everything should be theirs just for the asking. I left 30 years ago when I saw the way that UK was going and I am still sorry to see what is happening.
- Jonvic, SC USA
What a coincidence. Ofsted slag off the state education system the same day that the Local Government Assocation slag off Ofsted for becoming "too concerned about protecting its own reputation".
If Ofsted hasn't been able to make things better since its inception 17 years ago, it should be abolished.
Accountability for education standards could then be returned to schools and local councils. The money saved by getting rid of the self-serving centralised parasite that Ofsted undoubtedly is would be better spent directly on education.
- C Nichol, London
Come on then somebody, blame Faith Schools...
- Jane, London
as the old saying goes...
...those that can't do, teach...
..those that can't teach, run Ofsted?..
- Bigmaddog, Barking
I am sure that more than 30% of Inspectors are mediocre."Those who cant do - teach " they say but for me it is - Those who can't teach become Inspectors.
I gave up teaching after having caught and relieved of duties one trainee Inspector, who passed with flying colours , paying 10 pence to students not to chew gum in class; inspected by a teacher who ran a bed and breakfast and admitting she couldnt cope with teaching ; inspected by an ex head moved upstairs as his school was a disaster etc.
The inspection system needs to take successful teachers for a few years of sabbatical and allow them to guide schools.The system as it stands is very shallow in terms of talent
It has to be said that Maggie destroyed teaching as a vocation and here is the result. Teachers used to attend professional associations on a regular basis without rewards expected .Teachers used to guide each other without fear of censure. Now teachers are too busy fulfilling a quota of useless meetings and internal "evaluations".
- Terry, Hennebont France
If 31% are "satisfactory", presumably the vast majority is better than satisfactory, apart from the 6% that are failing. "Satisfactory", in the measured language of educational inspectors, should be taken to mean just that (not to be confused with the inflated grading system for GCSEs and A-levels). This is a satisfying result. Indeed, anything better would read like a white-wash.
- Bloke, Lambeth
The feminisation of education has robbed two generations of a decent education. It's run by wimmin, for wimmin.
- Neil, London, London UK
Come on everyone it could be worser.
- Hansel, London
One problem that it's not popular to mention is that for the last 30 years there has been competition for the skills of bright people that wasn't there before. We saw a lethal brain-drain of creative talent into sterile occupations such as accountancy and banking, because that's where the money was, coupled with a disastrous denigration of teaching as a career.When my nephews were young I would meet teachers who, while well meaning, were quite simply dim, and unlikely to inspire children to excel.
The credit crunch should do wonders for the calibre of the new intake.
- Mdj E10, london uk
What muppet spouted "Education, education education"?
You cannot tell me one thing that this meddling NuLieBore gaggle of devious, hypocritical parasites have had anything to do with that works properly.
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
Might I humbly suggest that the drop in school standards is basically down to two things which the Government has failed to address?;- Lack of disciplinary sanctions, and attempting to teach subjects in English to pupils who don't have an adequate grasp of the language? -We had 'poor teachers' even back in my day, but it didn't stop our educational standards being regarded as among the best in the world.
- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland
Yep, it's kind of hard to reconcile the dismal prognosis here ... with the 'excellent and above' A level results reported annually!
- Marianne, SW France/London
its hard to reconcile Labour's much vaunted exemplary pass rates and examination results with these findings.
is it because no one, including the universities & employers, actually believes the fudged stats?
- Scotty, London
"The decline in the study of French, German and other languages in secondary schools, after ministers made the subjects optional, is "a continuing cause for concern"."
This is nothing to do with Schools. The Government saw Languages as being a "hard" subject and decided that by getting rid of them they could get one of their facile improvements in exam passes.
"Standards of behaviour were inadequate or only satisfactory in 20 per cent of secondary schools."
Again Government policy has been to reduce the sanctions Schools can use to control difficult pupils and has also moved children from Special Schools into main stream schools without the additional resources to cope with them.
There is also the more general point that if schools are judged on the number of C passes then Schools will tend to concentrate resources on improving the best D grade pupils at the expense of the lower achieving pupils. To all except Government Ministers this could be taken as a statement of the obvious.
- Dave B, Beckenham
Isn't this the same body that's been telling us for years how standards & pass rates have been getting better and better?
- W. Vieux, Hampshire
I fail to see the problem. Thousands of kids leaving school without the basic tools to get on in life, disruptive, no self esteem, no ability to self teach (read books)etc.
This is exactly what Labour want. A bunch of Epsilon drones to do the menial jobs and pose no threat to Labour's "chosen ones".
It's the next generation of Labour voters, Can't you see?
- Jimbob, Kensington
I quote Ofsted. "Teaching of basic English and maths is too often weak, and standards in science lessons remain among the worst".
Is it possible, do you think, that the reason teaching is getting weaker, is because we are now seeing the result of previous years' exaggerated pass grades in the relevant qualifications required to teach said subjects. After all, if the teacher has no idea ,what chance the child?
- Alan Reece, Hythe, Kent
It seems to me there are to many kids in school today
who are not interested but are very disruptive, and
the parents are just as bad.
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh UK
And that lizard Voldemort wants Oxford and Cambridge to lower their standards and take more students from state schools?
Labour = FUBAR politics.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
