Schools' Chief Inspector warns of education 'class gap'

The Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, has highlighted problems in the improvement of education in his annual report.

The report, which draws upon evidence from inspections carried out during the 2003/04 academic year, found that, although the education system was generally improving, there were a number of issues that caused concern.

Mr Bell highlighted: the continuing difference in progress between different groups of pupils; the slow reduction in the gap in achievement between schools with high and low levels of disadvantage; no reduction in the proportion of schools were behaviour is unsatisfactory; and the quality of assessment in teaching.

Mr Bell also said that there were two major concerns that could prevent the education system fulfilling the potential of every learner - the impact of social class and the continuing performance variability of schools and colleges.

Mr Bell said: "I was the first from my family to attend university. I find it troubling that over 25 years later many of our least advantaged young people still believe that higher qualifications are beyond their reach."

The Chief Inspector said that around a thousand schools are not making sufficient progress between inspections and added that 10% of the schools inspected had "not improved enough" over the last three years.

However, Mr Bell also highlighted a number of areas, in which he said the system was improving. These included; an improved quality of care and education for young children; a strong cadre of head teachers in schools; improvements in school self-evaluation; improved flexibility in the curriculum for 14-16 year-olds; and the continuing success of sixth form colleges.

The Chief Inspector also identified four factors, which underpinned long-term improvement in the education system – a widely held recognition that education should be "broad and balanced"; an expansion in childcare places; and the education sector's ambitions to do better and tackle failure.

The report also found that there was a gap in achievement between core subjects, such as English, mathematics and science and other foundation subjects, such as geography and religious education, as was a gap between boys and girls, which Mr Bell admitted was a "concern".

Primary school pupils were also found to be performing less well in foundation subjects -particularly geography and religious education - than they were in the core subjects.

Teaching was found to be strongest for nursery-age children and Year 6 pupils and weakest for Years 1, 3 and 4, which the report attributed to too much variation in the quality of teaching across the subjects.

The report also identified a "pressing need" to tackle literacy and numeracy in Year 7 pupils and pointed out a number of concerns in the secondary school curriculum, including a decline in the take-up of modern languages and geography. Mr Bell also said that ICT demands were not being met in a significant proportion of schools.

Mr Bell also highlighted a slow pace of improvement in colleges and an increase in the proportion of colleges judged inadequate.

Regarding attendance in schools, Mr Bell said that primary school attendance had show a slight improvement overall, but unauthorised absence in secondary schools had risen to 1.14%.

The report also found that "almost all" schools dealt successfully with bullying and racism.

(KMcA/SP)