We need smarter targets to give all a fair education

League tables have been a signal to schools as to how they should spend their time. Their main target has been to ensure pupils pass five GCSEs including English and maths at C grade or above.

Schools not meeting that standard run the risk of being put into the hands of consultants or closed, and their headteachers and teachers risk being sacked. It is not surprising that the major effort in secondary schools has gone into getting children from a D or an E to a C grade.

Pupils who are easily going to reach that level or pupils for whom it would be a struggle may not have received the same attention. From these results today we can see that those children haven't been making the desired progress. The Government is publishing new information but it is still imposing floor targets based on the five GCSEs

If it wants to continue to use league tables, it will have to come up with smarter targets to ensure that schools are accountable for the progress and achievement of all their pupils.

Alan Smithers is director of the centre for education and employment research at the University of Buckingham.