Extra millions 'fail to raise school standards'

Pupils are being let down by serious failings in the classroom, a critical report by the Government's schools watchdog will say today.

Ofsted warns that the results from tests of 11- and 14-year-olds were still disappointing, despite the investment of £670million in boosting standards.

The inspectors' report predicted a key target set by ministers to improve results in this summer's tests for 14-year-olds is likely to be missed.

The findings will come as a setback to Education Secretary Charles Clarke, who has set out to improve secondary schools after the success in primary schools during Labour's first term.

Ofsted said the fall in standards between primary and secondary school "remains a key weakness" in the education system, with many gaps or overlaps in lesson content between years six and seven.

Poor marking was a major problem, with many teachers failing to identify or correct simple mistakes in English work. In maths and science, too few teachers adjusted their lessons according to the progress of pupils.

Shortages of specialist teachers were hitting schools hard. A "high proportion" of maths lessons were taught by non-specialist teachers, with staffing rated " unsatisfactory" in a third of schools.

Many schools were failing to enforce a directive from Whitehall that literacy and numeracy teaching should not be confined to English and maths, but should be extended into other lessons.

David Bell, chief inspector of schools, warned: "There is still much to do to enable more pupils to make good progress from the start of their secondary education." The Government's Key Stage 3 Strategy, relating to the first three years at secondary school, was launched in 2000.

Ofsted said today that the strategy had added "greater purpose and challenge" to many lessons, bringing " better attitudes to work, especially among boys". But it judged the improvement had been "uneven".

Mr Bell said: "Improvements in subject teaching have been maintained, and this is having a positive effect on pupils' attitudes and aspects of their work. But the drive for improvement needs to be kept up. Assessment is still a key weakness in Key Stage 3."

Targets were set in 2000 to ensure that 14-year-olds reaching the required standards at Key Stage 3 rose to 75 per cent in English and maths and 70 per cent in science by this summer. But although there has been progress in all three subjects, last summer's test results fell two percentage points short of target in science, four points short in maths and six points short in English.

The most damning section of the report related to the quality of marking, seen as a crucial area to identify where pupils need extra help. In its verdict on English teachers, Ofsted said: "There is a general lack of consistency in marking which often fails to identify repeated basic errors."

School Standards Minister David Miliband claimed the Government was already "addressing Ofsted's recommendations" with efforts to secure improvements in eight areas, including the way teachers mark children's work. He said: "The priority is to build on the significant progress we have already made."