Ofsted inspections highlight higher percentage of inadequate schools

Of almost 4,000 inspections carried out between September 2009 and March 2010, 11 per cent of schools were judged outstanding, 42 per cent good and 38 per cent satisfactory.

But nine per cent were judged inadequate, with five per cent being given notice to improve and four per cent requiring special measures. In the previous academic year, just four per cent were inadequate overall.

Christine Gilbert, Ofsted's chief inspector, claimed the new system, which was introduced in September 2009, is raising expectations and standards.

"The new framework is helping to ensure schools are better able to understand their weaknesses and areas in need of development," she said.

But junior schools minister Lord Hill said the inspectorate's regime should be reformed to target weaker schools.

"With almost half of schools inspected since September judged as only satisfactory or inadequate, it's clear there is urgent need for real reform," he warned. "We need to create more excellent schools and drive up standards across the board – and that's exactly what our academy proposals will help to do."

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, argued that the new inspection regime had "unilaterally shifted the goalposts in terms of what is success and failure".

She slammed the government for claiming that academies are the answer to improving schools. "Lord Hill's claim that the recent school inspection figures show that the government is right to continue with the academies programme is entirely misleading," she warned. "The figures clearly show that less than half the academies inspected since September have themselves been judged to be outstanding or good."

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, questioned why satisfactory and inadequate schools are being lumped together "into a catch-all of ‘not good enough'". 

She added that the inspections statistics are misleading.

"Under Ofsted's current framework, outstanding and good schools are inspected less frequently so today's data is based on a greater percentage of weaker schools and is not a fair picture of the overall standard of all schools in England," she explained.