BRITISH schools have been ordered to overhaul their English teaching after a three-year study by Ofsted (Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator) found 30 percent of lessons were not good enough, the Guardian has reported.
The report was based on inspectors’ visits to English lessons in 122 primary and 120 secondary schools across the UK between April 2005 and March 2008. They found that while standards in English have risen since 2004, “the rate of improvement has been slow”. The quality of teaching was good or better in seven out of 10 lessons. In those that were only satisfactory, pupils were given too much direction by the teacher, and the planning was not clear enough. “Such teaching often had only a limited impact on raising the achievement of lower-attaining pupils,” the report said. It also highlighted the gap between the best schools, which provide an English curriculum that suits pupils’ needs, and the worst ones, which fail to do this.
The report called for the British government to look at ways to identify good practice in English and to share it between schools. It recommended that the government help schools in poorer areas hire the best staff and help teachers strengthen their own English skills so they can be more confident. Schools should also review their English curriculum, following developments in information technology to ensure it meets the needs of all pupils.
David Laws, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman, said: “The government is still failing to get the basics right in our education system. Reading and writing standards are improving far too slowly. More funding is needed to ensure that those young children who are struggling get the extra support they need to keep them from falling behind.”
Diana Johnson, the schools minister, said: “A secure understanding of English is vital in its own right and key to accessing the rest of the curriculum. Ofsted’s overall message is a positive one. There is still more to do, particularly in closing the gap between boys and girls.”
