Commenting on the Ofsted Annual Report 2015/16, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said: 

“Any news of school standards rising is welcome, but we ignore the fact that this is very much concentrated in one area of the country and problems remain.

“The Tories are failing in their duty of best by all our children. Some of the most disadvantaged children and those in the North are suffering the most.

“Schools in the North already receive significantly less money per pupil than schools in the South, and with school budgets cuts for the first time in decades this crisis is only going to get worse. So much for the Northern Powerhouse.

“Labour wants school standards to rise in every region of the country with an education system that works for everyone. The Tories have no plan of how to make sure every child receives the very best education they deserve.

“Today’s report is a wake-up call to a Tory Government that continues to obsess about new grammar schools which would benefit just a few of our children. They have no plan to deal with the budgets in schools and further education colleges, chronic teacher shortages and not enough good school places.”