'Satisfactory' schools no longer good enough

Schools will find it harder to pass inspections from today, the chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw warns.

Sir Michael, chief executive of Ofsted, the education standards watchdog, said a "good" rating would in future be the minimum standard required for a successful school inspection.

As from today, the term "satisfactory" will be consigned to the dustbin of history and be replaced with a new category – "requires improvements".

The latest statistics show around seven out of 10 schools obtain a "good" or "outstanding" ranking – those in London are the best performers with 76 per cent.