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25% of secondary pupils 'coast' in class By Laura Clark - Education Correspondent - Daily Mail, April 4, 2007 One in four pupils is failing to make progress or even getting worse in key subjects during their first three years at secondary school, damning Government figures revealed yesterday. Almost 150,000 pupils make no progress in science, while 80,000 fail to improve their grades in English and 30,000 in maths. In a study of 100 schools, more than 50% remained at the same level in science and English between the ages of 11 and 14. In three quarters of secondary schools - about 2,400 - at least ten pupils per school failed to improve their English grades. Even the brightest youngsters are affected, with 18% of those achieving an above-average 'level five' in English aged 11, scoring the same grade three years later. The figures, obtained by the Tories, will be hugely embarrassing for ministers who have made improving education a priority. They also go some way to explaining poor levels of English and maths among school-leavers. Fewer than half of all pupils finish 11 years of compulsory education at 16 with decent grades in the two crucial subjects. Earlier this week ministers admitted tough measures were needed to crack down on 'coasting' schools. Under their proposals, local authorities will be given powers to intervene in poor-performing schools at the earliest opportunity, with councils actually taking over those identified as causing concern. The move will particularly target schools in the suburbs with a high intake of middle-class children but only average results. The Government believes too many schools are managing to maintain respectable positions in league tables but are underachieving in relation to pupils' abilities. Under the scheme, schools would be sent warning notices requiring them to lay down a timetable for improvement within 15 days. If they fail to complete the action plan, councils could sack the school's governing bodies and replace them with 'interim boards'. Schools will fail Ofsted inspections would be given only a year to improve or face closure or conversion into one of Tony Blair's flagship academy schools. Further powers would allow councils to force schools to link up with outside organisations, including private companies, to drive up standards. They will also be required to check schools are not letting down specific groups such as ethnic minority pupils. The Conservatives attacked the plans, saying education in secondary schools had gone 'seriously wrong'. Schools spokesman Nick Gibb said: "Something is going seriously wrong when more than half of children are deteriorating in their education despite turning up at school every day for three years. We need a more tailored curriculum, a more rigorous approach to setting and streaming and higher expectations of children. For example, in English, only 51% of lessons are set by ability." Schools Minister Lord Andrew Adonis said: "It is not good waiting for the patient to end up on the critical list when you can prescribe preventative medicine early on. While the best cure is prevention, local authorities have a responsibility to act quickly to turn around failure to reduce to a minimum the time a child has to suffer poor teaching which can severity hurt their progress." "Local authorities should also take action against coasting schools. It is not good enough for schools to let down pupils who should be doing much better when you compare them to similar pupils in other schools."
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