Ofsted chief: ‘Not a good picture in Peterborough’s schools’ as number of top ratings drops

However, Paul Brooker, said there was work to be proud of, highlighting Queen Katharine Academy’s turnaround as a prime example of how schools could succeed, despite difficult challenges.

Mr Brooker was speaking as East of England Ofsted released its annual report, which showed there had been a 15 per cent drop in the number of Peterborough secondary schools with a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspection.

At the end of August 2019, 77 per cent of secondary schools in the city had one of the top two grades. The percentage of primary schools achieving the standard remained at 84 per cent.

The report also highlighted poor exam results across Peterborough.

He said: “The issue is the authority will say the city has a number of significant challenges, such as churn of pupils.

“The issue is how well some schools cope - some cope very well, others less so.

“Queen Katharine has always faced significant challenges - up to 300 pupils coming and going throughout a year.

“They have now got a new leadership, with a new trust. They have addressed retention and recruitment of teachers, and in the new environment teachers are happy to stay.

“The challenge for Queen Katharine is now to sustain what they have achieved, and remain on the trajectory they are on.

“The challenging circumstances are not going to go away.”

Mr Brooker said low attainment at schools across Peterborough was an issue - but other areas of the country had similar issues.

He said: “It is about getting the basics right, in English and maths, but mainly getting them right in reading.

“It has to be from early years, at the very first point.

“Being able to read allows pupils to access the wider curriculum.

“If you look at areas like Southend or Thurrock, they have quite challenging issues, where children achieve more.”