Poor report on schools angers Kent

COUNTY education chiefs have reacted angrily to a report suggesting Kent is a poorly-run authority with significant weaknesses.

The claim was made in a draft paper prepared by Ofsted. which drew on the results of the 44 inspections it has made of education authorities.

The report stated that Kent County Council was among four authorities with "significant weaknesses" despite the presence of above average schools.

One other authority in the same category - Buckinghamshire - also operates a selective system and has a number of grammar schools. Ofsted said its inspections appeared to indicate that there was no link between well-run education authorities and high performing schools.

"Worryingly... there is little evidence of any correlation between the quality of an LEA as an organisation and the standards achieved in its schools," the report said.

It also suggested that a lack of political leadership was one reason why some authorities were unsuccessful although it did not identify them.

Kent has recently been revisited by a team of Ofsted inspectors, who are expected to produce a second report by the end of summer.

Cllr Paul Carter, the Conservative chairman of uts education committee, made a veiled criticism of Ofsted when he questioned whether Kent had been singled out for criticism.

"I hope Ofsted is not playing politics with education. The first Ofsted report gave us a cautious thumbs up. We are a fast improving authority and we have statistical evidence to back that up. The number of schools in special measures is now down to eight from 24 and those with serious weaknesses have also tumbled," he said.

Labour's education spokesman Cllr Matt Wheatcroft urged the council to use the findings to open a debate on what education system Kent should have.

"No-one with any knowledge of education in Kent should be surprised at Ofsted's verdict.

We do have some very good schools in Kent but they are only serving the minority of the population." Ofsted also pointed to a tendency among some authorities to pay lip service to school autonomy, which it described as a "nostalgia for control."