Staffordshire schools below national average

However, there has been a big improvement in the standard of schools since 2010. A total of 78 per cent of schools are rated in the top two categories by Government watchdog Ofsted.

The national average is 80 per cent.

In 2010, 59 per cent were rated good and outstanding.

It comes after half of the 18 primary schools visited by Ofsted in Staffordshire earlier this year – as part of a wave of inspections – were found to not be providing a good education.

Education bosses in the county have now set a target of 80 per cent schools being classed as good and outstanding by August 2015 and 90 per by August 2016.

County Councillor Ben Adams, cabinet member for learning and skills, said: "We are pleased that in Staffordshire 78 per cent of schools are now rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted as this represents an increase of nearly 20 per cent compared to 2010. This has been achieved through hard work by schools and pupils as well as the robust support put in place by the county council and Entrust.

"With schools becoming self-supporting, we have had to change our approach and so far, this seems to be working.

"Our ambition is to have 90 per cent of schools rated as good or outstanding by 2016, so it is clear that there is more work to be done if we are to continually raise standards in the county.

"We must focus even harder on getting our support for schools right, but there is also a challenge here to schools themselves, parents and pupils. We all have a responsibility to ensure that children in Staffordshire get the best education. We are definitely moving in the right direction."

The county council was accused of not knowing its schools as well as it used by Ofsted after the inspections in June.

The inspections in June were to establish why children in some parts of the country have a much lower chance of attending a good or better school than their peers in other similar areas.

But the council has always insisted that the inspections were 'not representative' of the county as a whole.

Chiefs have now drawn up plans to ensure they keep in better contact with schools and that standards are driven up.

It includes forming a new board of headteachers who will look at what improvements are needed and will be a contact point for schools across the county.