North-South Schools Divide 'Deeply Troubling'

Children in the north of England and the Midlands are much less likely to attend a good school than those in the South, the head of Ofsted has said.

Sir Michael Wilshaw said the high concentration of underperforming secondary schools was "deeply troubling", as he launched his fourth report as head of the schools watchdog.

He revealed that 410,000 children in the North and Midlands go to a secondary school rated less than "good".

In all, 79% of secondary schools in the South are good or outstanding, but that falls to 68% in the North and Midlands.

Tellingly, 130 of the 173 failing secondaries are in those areas, while just 43 are in the South.

His report highlights 16 local authority areas where fewer than 60% of pupils attend good or outstanding schools, leading to below average progress and worse GCSE grades.

All but three are in the North and Midlands, while many are satellite towns of a major city.

More children are attending good and outstanding schools than ever, but that is largely down to progress in primary schools.

Sir Michael said the gap was not just down to lower income levels in the North, and called for "collective action and political will" to solve the problem.

He said if cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield are to lead the 'Northern Powerhouse' they need to work with local towns to raise attainment.

He also said action is needed to address a shortage of high-quality school leaders that make "the biggest difference" to standards", as well as boosting recruitment in key subjects,

Sir Michael suggests financial incentives to attract trainees to the areas and schools that need them most, and the possibility of "golden handcuffs" to encourage teachers to stay in the state system.

He also warned that children from low-income families continued to suffer disproportionately in weaker schools.

"The ‘long tail of underachievement’ that prevents too many of our poorest children realising their potential shows few signs of being eradicated," said Sir Michael.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said education had been "transformed over the past five years through raising both standards and expectations".

She said record numbers of pupils were being taught in good or outstanding schools.

"This progress should not be ignored, but like Sir Michael Wilshaw we believe more needs to be done to deliver educational excellence everywhere and tackle pockets of underperformance, so that we can extend opportunity to every single child."