More than a fifth of Leeds schools inadequate or require improvement, figures show

An official report, released by inspections body Ofsted, shows that out of 271 schools in the city that were inspected, 44 - 16 per cent - were rated as requiring improvement, while 14 - five per cent - were judged as inadequate.

Ofsted’s four-point system has long sparked controversy, amid warnings that the ratings can prove misleading when assessing a quality of education, and a new framework is to take a broader perspective from September.

The total 21 per cent of schools in Leeds that were rated to be inadequate or in need of improvement, is six per cent higher than the national average of 15 per cent, the figures show.

While progress is being made - 18 per cent of schools were rated 'outstanding' and 61 per cent were judged as 'good' - Leeds City Council says there is more to be done.

Phil Mellen,the authority's Deputy Director for Learning, said: “Our ambition is for Leeds to be the best city in the UK for children and young people to grow up in, and an important part of this is ensuring that they all have access to the very best learning at every stage of their education.

“We are pleased that Ofsted inspections of Leeds schools from September 2017 to March 2018 nearly all resulted in a good or better overall judgement, but recognise that there is still a lot of hard work to do.

“Against the key secondary indicator of Progress 8, the performance of Leeds schools has been in line with or better than national for the past two years and this is testament to the hard work of young people and their teachers. In addition, the percentage of pupils achieving a strong pass in both English and maths increased in 2018 at a faster rate than was the case nationally.

“Although Ofsted judgements and exam results are vitally important measures, Leeds City Council is also determined to support education in the broadest sense, including sport, music, outdoor education and student wellbeing. We will continue to work with schools and other partners to ensure this, whilst improving standards across the city at all levels."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said 80 per cent of Yorkshire’s schools were now rated good or outstanding, compared to 66 per cent in 2010.

“Better schools, together with our new world-class curriculum and qualifications, and reforms to technical education including improved apprenticeships, mean that parents and pupils can feel more confident than ever that education standards in this country are meeting their expectations."