Good schooling is still 'hit and miss'

The chance of getting a good education in state schools is still "hit and miss" despite millions spent on raising standards, Education Secretary Charles Clarke admitted today.

He blamed some teachers' lack of subject knowledge for the shortcomings of too many lessons. But he also acknowledged that a "proliferation" of government initiatives had played its part.

Mr Clarke wondered whether enough "bang for our buck" was being delivered by the army of advisers appointed to improve school performance.

"We are spending money but are we maximising our returns?" he asked.

Mr Clarke was speaking at a London conference organised by the General Teaching Council, the profession's regulatory body, which also aims to boost professional development.

He pointed to figures showing how the number of lessons identified as "very good" or "excellent" by school inspectors had risen over the past seven years.

However, they also showed how quality varied just as much between different-subjects as it had when Labour came to office in 1997, he said.

Then 65per cent of PE lessons were rated very good or excellent as against 43per cent of those in computer studies. The latest figures showed 81 per cent of PE lessons were top quality compared with 59 per cent in languages.

"We are making progress and everyone in the profession should give themselves-a pat on the back," he said. "But this is happening in rather a varied way - and we need a more systematic approach.

"It is almost hit and miss whether a school or class teacher is working to improve teaching for every child." He wanted better systems for encouraging teachers to improve their subject knowledge.

This was necessary so that the Government's aim of better tailoring lessons to the needs of individual pupils could become a reality. But he acknowledged that the "proliferation" of advisers which had accompanied the steady flow of government initiatives was also part of the problem.

Schools were besieged by advisors on the curriculum, numeracy and literacy, behaviour and a host of other issues.

"There was a good reason for all of them and many are very constructive," Mr Clark said. But he asked: "Are they as focused and coherent as they should be in helping the professional development of individual teachers?

"Are we getting a bang for our buck? We are spending money on all these programmes - but are we maximising our returns?"

His comments on improving quality of teaching suggest the education budget may become tighter.

Talks are under way with the Treasury on the spending review which will dictate departmental budgets for the next three years. And there are already suggestions that health, not education, will be the Chancellor's top priority in the run-up to an election.