Press release: The majority of education and care is good or better but the gap between the best and worst is unacceptable

22 Nov 2006

Ref: 2006-33

More than half of childcare and nursery education settings, and almost six in ten schools, inspected during 2005/06 were good or outstanding, according to The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools 2005/06, published by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) today.

Eleven per cent of schools were outstanding and 48 per cent were good. However, about one in 12 maintained schools were inadequate. The proportion of inadequate secondary schools, at 13 per cent, is almost twice that of primary schools, at seven per cent.

Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, said:

“I am concerned about the gap between the best and worst provision. It is unacceptable that one in 12 schools was judged to be inadequate last year. We want all of our schools to make a positive contribution to the life chances of children and young people.”

There was more encouraging news regarding nursery schools and special schools. An impressive 39 per cent of nursery schools were judged outstanding and 50 per cent were good. None was inadequate. Twenty one per cent of special schools were outstanding and 58 per cent were good. Only two per cent were inadequate. The largest proportions of good and outstanding teaching and learning are found in nursery schools and special schools.

There is a continuing trend of improvement among further education colleges. Eleven per cent were outstanding and 44 per cent were good. Nearly all colleges found to be inadequate at their last inspections have improved. Of the colleges inspected in 2005/06, 15 were judged inadequate at their previous inspections. Of these, 14 are now satisfactory or better. Some have made considerable improvement. For example, four of the 15 colleges are now good.

There is also encouraging news from the findings of joint area reviews of local authority children’s services. In terms of overall effectiveness, services for children and young people were good in just over half of the 36 local areas reviewed during 2005/06. Services for children and young people are seen as a high priority in all of the areas inspected and, encouragingly, virtually all have the capacity to improve.

However, while the outcomes of the work of local authority children’s services are good for most children and young people, those for vulnerable groups are often only adequate and occasionally inadequate. The majority of local authorities have too many looked-after children or those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in placements outside their areas. This removes the children concerned from the network of local support services and militates against inclusion and reintegration.

Two weaknesses frequently found among local authorities are the attainment and attendance at school of looked-after children, for whom educational outcomes still lag far behind those of other pupils.

Christine Gilbert said:

“The poor levels of attainment and attendance of many children in care are simply unacceptable. These children are inadequately supported in almost half of local authorities.

“One in eight looked-after children were absent from school for at least 25 days during the year. It is hardly surprising that the attainment of these children is low and that when they leave school they are much less likely than other school-leavers to remain in full-time education or get a job.”

Other areas in most frequent need of improvement were support for children and young people who offend and action to prevent re-offending; access to good mental health provision, which is not always rapid enough; the timeliness and quality of social care assessments; high rates of teenage pregnancies in some areas, and declining access to preventative services for children and families.

The Annual Report also found that of the schools inspected during 2005/06 pupils’ achievement was outstanding in nine per cent of schools and good in 49 per cent. It was inadequate in seven per cent of primary schools and 12 per cent of secondary schools.

Teaching was good or better in 60 per cent of primary schools and 51 per cent of secondary schools. It was inadequate in four per cent of primary schools and six per cent of secondary schools. Leadership and management were outstanding in 12 per cent of all schools and good in 50 per cent. They were inadequate in four per cent of schools.

Pupils’ personal development and wellbeing were outstanding in 27 per cent of all schools and good in 59 per cent.

Attendance is inadequate in a smaller proportion of schools than last year; it is generally worse in secondary schools than primary schools, and in London and the north of England compared with the rest of the country.

There were fewer schools in special measures at the end of 2005/06 than at the beginning. Of schools inspected, 2.7 per cent were made subject to special measures: the same proportion as the previous year but smaller than the 3.7 per cent in 2003/04.

During 2005/06, 317 schools were given a ‘notice to improve’ because they were judged inadequate but, unlike special measures schools, demonstrated the capacity to improve. Altogether, 7.8 per cent of schools inspected were placed in a ‘causing concern’ category, which is broadly in line with previous years.

Of more than 32,000 childcare and early education settings inspected, four per cent were outstanding, 48 per cent were good and only three per cent were inadequate. Of 490 inadequate childcare settings, 87 per cent had improved and were providing at least satisfactory care by the time they were re-inspected. Eighteen per cent were good. Ofsted continues to closely monitor the sixty-one settings that remained inadequate.

Of 117 early education settings judged inadequate and re-inspected, 80 per cent are now at least satisfactory and nine per cent are good. Twenty three remain inadequate.

The quality of initial teacher training has improved. Just over half of 36 joint area reviews of local authorities were good, two were inadequate and the rest were adequate.

The Annual Report findings are based on 40,000 inspections of schools, nurseries and childminders, colleges, initial teacher training courses and local authorities. More than twice as many schools were inspected during 2005/06 compared with the previous academic year, because Ofsted moved from a six year to a three year inspection cycle in September 2005.

The Annual Report includes a list of those schools, colleges and early years care and education providers that have been judged to be outstanding during the academic year 2005/06. This list includes schools that have been judged to be outstanding for the second or third time, and schools that were formerly inadequate but are now outstanding.

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