Inspectors condemn failing schools
Half of England's secondary schools do not give pupils a good education, leaving too many children without a firm grasp of the three Rs, inspectors warned.
Discipline is poor or "just satisfactory" in nearly a third of secondary schools, while society's most deprived children are routinely being let down, Ofsted said.
Despite recent improvements, Chief Inspector of Education Christine Gilbert warned that school standards were still not good enough. "I make no apology for emphasising our ambition and our sense of urgency," she said.
"I see no reason why every school should not now aspire to be a good school. The proportion of schools - 5% in primary and 10% in secondary - in which provision is inadequate, though lower than last year, is still far too high."
Ms Gilbert warned that too often pupils from poor backgrounds were let down by the education system.
Many failing schools are found in the poorest parts of the country, further undermining the hopes for the most disadvantaged children, she said.
"The blight to their life chances is something that can't be recouped in 10 years' time," she said.
Despite the criticisms, Schools Minister Lord Adonis welcomed the report, describing it as an "encouraging assessment".
He added: "It highlights the great progress we have made but also the scale of the challenge ahead of us to create world-class standards in every school and college in every part of the country."
But Conservative schools spokesman Nick Gibb said: "It is unacceptable that almost half of secondary schools are judged no better than satisfactory. This is not good enough and explains why parents clamour to get their children into the few secondary schools judged to be the best."
