Hundreds of schools failing to meet targets

More than 600 secondary state schools are failing to meet government targets for GCSE grades, figures have revealed.

According to recent league tables 639 schools have not met the authorities' minimum target of 30 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C grades, including maths and English.

Schools minister, Jim Knight, revealed that the lowest performing schools would be kept under scrutiny until the grades could be brought up to an acceptable level.

He said: "We owe it to parents to make sure low-performing schools turn around quickly. I share parent's impatience for improvement not just in low-achieving schools, but in all schools."

Schools which have failed to meet the minimum standards now face the prospect of being taken over by the government or even closed if they do not begin meeting the required standards.

The new figures, based on examination results from 2007, revealed that 46 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C.