As many as one in seven secondary schools are failing their pupils.

That is according to a new report from Ofsted, the education watchdog, which said that 14 per cent of schools are 'inadequate' and are in need of urgent improvements.

The results of the report have heightened concerns over the standard of teaching and the honesty of school exams.

During the autumn term, the number of schools deemed 'inadequate' was down at one in ten.

Reflecting on the recent rise, Professor Alan Smithers, the director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, told the Daily Telegraph: "The new regime seems to be scrutinising teaching more thoroughly and revealing some uncomfortable facts about schools.

"I hope that by providing this accurate feedback - holding a mirror up to schools - they will see how to improve to the great benefit of children."

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the boss at Ofsted, has recently spoken of his desire to instigate a rapid improvement in standards.

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