More momentum needed to raise school standards: Osted

Recent rises in schools standards have been maintained but more momentum is needed to achieve further improvements and ensure all young people get the best possible deal, Ofsted has said.

The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools 2002/03, published today, found that more than 120 schools had "improved significantly" so that they no longer need special measures. There was also an overall decline in the numbers of colleges with unsatisfactory leadership and management.

For the first time, the report included an assessment of childcare provision in England, which it graded as 99% satisfactory or better. Ofsted arrived at their conclusion after surveying some 24,000 childcare providers since April 2003.

The report highlighted improvements in areas, such as: the teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) in primary schools; the effect of the Key Stage 3 strategy on teaching and learning; the maintenance of improved standards in teaching, leadership and management that have taken place over the last 10 years; and the continuing improvement of local education authorities (LEAs) and their increasing effectiveness in supporting school improvement.

However, among the main weaknesses outlined in the report were: continuing difficulties with the recruitment and retention of teachers; in about a fifth of primary schools, teaching remains no better than satisfactory overall; too much variation in quality and effectiveness of subject leadership; and the continued gap in achievement between different groups of pupils, particularly between girls and boys, and the underperformance of white boys from poorer socio-economic backgrounds.

The Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, said: "Over recent years, there have been significant improvements in many aspects of the education system. The challenge now is to give added impetus to improvement so that the weaknesses identified through inspection can be addressed.

"Our evidence – and the effective work of many teachers across the country – shows that perseverance does pay dividends. Government and teachers now need to tackle the persistent problems with renewed vigour, so that young people are not let down by the system and get the entitlement they deserve at every stage of education from the age of 0 to 19."

School Standards Minister David Miliband today said that "there would be no let up in our focus on higher standards in literacy and numeracy", as it was "morally and educationally right".

(gmcg)