“If teacher recruitment issues remain unaddressed, if training provision in much of the country continues to be patchy, and if schools that are desperate for good teachers struggle to find them, we are destined to remain a nation divided”. 

In his annual state of the nation report into the quality of schools and further education, Sir Michael Wilshaw says that “collective action and political will” are key to raising standards, particularly in the North and Midlands, where, according to the report, underperforming schools are concentrated.

Other highlighted issues in the report include:

Schools

• There is much to celebrate about England’s schools, with more children currently in good and outstanding schools than ever before, but improvements at primary level are not always matched in secondary education
• Increasing the number of good leaders is important to meet the challenges of further improvement in schools
• The achievement of pupils from low-income backgrounds remains an on-going weakness in the education system.
  

• In the FE and skills sector the annual report finds that improvements among providers have slowed, and performance has declined in general FE colleges (GFE)
• Only 35% of GFE colleges inspected this year were good or outstanding
• Concerns surrounding the quality of apprenticeships are on-going. Schools are not promoting apprenticeships widely as an option for all pupils but this will not change until quality improves.