Clever Pupils Are 'Let Down' By State Schools

Clever pupils are being failed by England's state secondary schools, inspectors have claimed.

A new Ofsted report says a culture of low expectations in many schools means that bright children are not being stretched and are missing out on top GCSE grades.

Chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said it was "shocking" that, in some cases, school leaders and teachers did not even know who their most able children were.

He called for parents to be sent annual reports giving information on whether their child is achieving as much as they should be, and suggested that pupils should be put into sets for key subjects such as English and maths from age 11.

Last year nearly two-thirds (65%) of pupils at non-selective secondaries, around 65,000 students in total, gained a Level 5 in English and maths in national curriculum tests at the end of primary school, one level above the expected standard, but did not get an A* or A grade in these subjects at GCSE, Ofsted said.

More than a quarter of these students, around 27,000, did not get a grade B in English and maths at GCSE.

Sir Michael said the figures are "unacceptable in an increasingly competitive world."

"Too many non-selective schools are failing to nurture scholastic excellence," he said.

"While the best of these schools provide excellent opportunities, many of our most able students receive mediocre provision.

"Put simply, they are not doing well enough because their secondary schools fail to challenge and support them sufficiently from the beginning.

"The brightest and best young people are not routinely achieving the highest grades because their schools fail to challenge and support them properly from the start of their secondary education.

"We want our most able children attending these schools to be the leaders of our society, and to be the political, commercial and professional leaders of tomorrow."

His report also calls for parents to be given a report each year setting out whether their child is on track to achieve as much as they should do in national tests and exams.