25th November 2009 9:00
By Blue Tutors
In their annual report, Ofsted have stated that ‘mediocre’ teaching in some schools is failing some students from deprived backgrounds. 4% of schools have been branded ‘inadequate’, although this is down from 5% last year.
There have been criticisms of Osted’s latest report by local authorities, who claim that the expansion of Ofsted’s remit to include childcare facilities has diluted their focus, and created increased fears about child safety. Ofsted’s chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, responded by stating that their increased responsibilities were justified if they save “just one child from abuse”.
The report indentified weaknesses in particular schools, and highlighted that it was the teaching that was seriously under-par. Ms. Gilbert said that with the demise of national strategies in Maths and English, it’s more important than ever to ensure that these core skills are taught properly, but that this wasn’t the case in a handful of Primary schools.
Nick Gibb, the shadow schools minister, claimed that some schools are failing students, particularly students from poorer backgrounds, and that this leads to truancy and disruptive behaviour later. He stated that under a conservative government there would be higher entry requirements for trainee teachers, and better training.
(Original story on bbc.co.uk, 24th November 2009)