East: Third Of Primary Schools Rated Not Good Enough

11 December 2013, 10:22 | Updated: 11 December 2013, 10:40

An Ofsted report out this morning shows that a third of primary schools in Norfolk and Suffolk aren't of a high enough standard.

Just 63% of pupils are in a primary school that's been rated as good or outstanding in Norfolk, while the figure in Suffolk isn't much higher at 66%. The report says children in this region have among the lowest chances in the country of attending a good or better school and shows that primary schools are performing worse here than in any other region.

Findings also show that Norfolk and Suffolk both sit within the bottom 10% of all authorities in England for the proportion of children attending primary schools that are good or better.

Secondary schools in our region aren't doing much better either, however they have improved. 71% of secondary schools are now good or outstanding compared to 62% in the previous year. Nationally, 74% of secondary schools are considered good or better.

In terms of leadership and management of schools, East Anglia has come out as the worst region in the country. 76% of schools are led well here, comparing with the national level of 82% and the strongest region, London, where 87% of schools have good or outstanding leadership.

Sean Harford, Ofsted Regional Director for the East of England, said: “While secondary schools in this region are closing the education gap with national performance, this cannot be said for primary schools. The picture for primary aged children is dire.

“Despite the relative affluence of the region, primary school pupils in the East of England have one of the lowest chances of attending a good school in the country. It cannot be right that nearly 250,000 children are going to a school that is not good enough. Improvements must be made and made quickly if children are to have a better starting chance.

“Leadership and management are also the worst overall in the country. As Regional Director for the East of England I am determined to focus minds through our inspection and improvement work. Ofsted inspectors will monitor, challenge and support those institutions that are underperforming and we will not walk away until education standards improve in the region.”