Wolverhampton schools at bottom of UK table

Presenting the findings, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw hit out at teaching standards and a culture of misbehaviour among pupils nationally.

In Wolverhampton, just 56 per cent of children attend a top-rated primary school, an Ofsted report shows.

is now rooted to the bottom of a league table. Education chiefs today branded the results as 'not good enough' and pledged to take 'swift and decisive action'.

Councillor Phil Page, cabinet member for education, said: "These results are not good enough and we need to do better. It's as simple as that."

He said structural changes had already been put in place and the local authority was working with schools, governors and Ofsted to find a way of improving results.

"We realise we need to change," he said. "It is well known that 99 per cent of funding for education by-passes the council and goes straight to the schools and it is their choice where they prioritise their service."

Council chief executive Simon Warren said the standards at a number of primary schools were unacceptable.

"These schools must and will improve," he said. "Parents will feel let down by these schools and rightly so. We are working closely with under performing schools to deliver the required improvements."

The figures were revealed as Ofsted warned that the story of England's education system is 'a tale of two nations'.

Children from similar backgrounds and of similar abilities can end up with different prospects just because of where they were born and the quality of the school they attended, according to the watchdog's annual report.

See also: Pledge made as Wolverhampton schools slammed

Wolverhampton trails behind its Black Country neighbours for the number of pupils attending a good or outstanding primary school.

Walsall was rated the fifth lowest in the country, with only 60 per cent of pupils going to good or outstanding schools.

In Staffordshire the figure is 71 per cent, it is 72 per cent in Dudley while Sandwell has the highest figure in the area at 82 per cent.

Ofsted also revealed results for the number of pupils who attend good or outstanding secondary schools, with Wolverhampton faring better there with a figure of 72 per cent.

Overall, the performance of the nation's primary schools has improved, Ofsted found.