Lancashire schools praised by Ofsted

Figures from the latest Ofsted annual report show that the vast majority of Lancashire's children and young people are taught in schools that are either good or outstanding.

The latest Ofsted statistics show that 95% of Lancashire's primary age pupils attend schools that have been judged to be good or outstanding, compared to the national average of 90%, and to the North West average of 93%.

More than 84% of the county's pupils attend secondary schools that have been judged to be good or outstanding. This figure compares to the national average of 81% and to the North West average of 75%.

The figures for both primary and secondary age pupils are above the national and regional averages, while the percentages of pupils in schools that are not good or outstanding are much lower than the national average.

Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for children, young people and schools, County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, said: "There may be a North-South divide in educational performance across the country, but that certainly doesn't apply to Lancashire.

"To outstrip the national average of pupils in good or outstanding secondary schools is a remarkable achievement as these ratings are hard to achieve. We're also above the national average for our primary schools.

"I'm really proud of these results. They are a testament to the high quality of the teaching in our schools and the commitment of pupils and their families to learning. And they show that the overall standard of education in Lancashire is up there with the best.

"We certainly won't rest on our laurels though and we'll continue to strive to fulfil our aim that all our pupils are able to attend a school which is rated as good or outstanding. We have improved on our performance last year and we'll work hard to continue this trend next year."

The Ofsted Annual Report for 2015/16 was published last week and gives a national overview of early years, schools, colleges and further education providers in England.