North-South education gap widening, Ofsted finds
Neil Puffett
Thursday, December 1, 2016
The gap in education quality between the North of England and the Midlands and the rest of the country has widened, Ofsted has found.
The inspectorate's Annual Report for 2015/16 found that the overall quality of primary and secondary schools has improved, but the North and the Midlands has fallen further behind the rest of the country.
Overall, the proportion of good and outstanding primary schools has risen from 69 per cent to 90 per cent in five years. Secondary schools have improved, with 78 per cent now rated either "good" or "outstanding".
However, the proportion of pupils who achieved highly by the end of primary school who then went on to achieve A or A* in their GCSEs in the North and Midlands was six percentage points lower than in the rest of the country
Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of Ofsted, said the knowledge and skills gap "threatens the country's competitiveness".
"Our education system has always served some very well, but access to an excellent education has long been a dividing line in this country," he said.
"In some parts of our education and skills system, this is now changing.
"For the youngest children, we are now closer than we have ever been to an education system where your family background or where you live does not necessarily determine the quality of teaching you receive or the outcomes you achieve.
"Education can make people and communities more resilient, and it can bring people together. However, there is also a risk that, when the quality of provision is uneven, education exacerbates divisions.
"Where opportunities and values are not shared, those who are excluded or isolated can become alienated and resentful."
The report also highlights pressures on the supply of secondary teachers - with 15 of the 18 curriculum subjects having unfilled training places this year.
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "Ofsted is right to highlight the escalating teacher shortage, and the damage this does to educating pupils, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
"Sir Michael rightly emphasises that the quality of a nation's education system rests upon the quality of its teachers. Whether Nick Gibb chooses to acknowledge it or not, teacher recruitment and retention is in crisis in England."
