It has been a bad year for Lincolnshire schools as Ofsted hands out bad ratings

Of the 63 ratings published this year, approximately a third of schools were told they weren’t good enough.

Eighteen schools or academies were given a rating of Requires Improvement in 2022, and four were given the lowest grade of Inadequate.

Ofsted haven’t responded to the LDRS’ questions about whether there has been a decline in school local standards.

This was the first full year of inspections for the regulatory body since Covid, during which schools turned to remote learning and children often had to self-isolate.

Previously-exempt schools are also facing new inspections.

Just two Lincolnshire schools and academies got the top grade of Outstanding this year and 41 schools were rated Good.

Ofsted have said that schools across the country are struggling to recruit enough teachers, and there are still high levels of staff absence due to Covid.

Since 2021, it has also scrapped its policy of not inspecting Good or Outstanding schools without specific concerns, meaning some are being visited for the first time in years.

Approximately ten per cent of all of Lincolnshire learning facilities are rated Requires Improvement or Inadequate, including those rated before the pandemic.

Concerns have recently been raised about local education standards, with Coun Richard Davies saying “hundreds of children are being let down over at least a decade. That’s a scandal and we need to do something.”

Among the schools which Require Improvement are Castle Wood Academy, Gainsborough, which was inspected in May 2022 and The Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough, which was inspected in November 2021.

And Gainsborough Academy, Gainsborough, was rated Inadequate when it was inspected in September 2022.

Earlier this month Gainsborough councillor, Matt Boles, called for Lincolnshire County Council to take action and give the Gainsborough Academy students a chance at a better education.

Coun Boles said: “Gainsborough children cannot be left to be continually failed in such a way.”