Ofsted - the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills - inspects and reports on anywhere that provides education for young people in England, including schools, nurseries and childminders.
Schools or organisations are inspected every four years or 30 months depending on their status.
Many parents rely on Ofsted ratings to help them choose a school or nursery.
More than four out of five teachers in England believe a new system of inspection should be introduced because Ofsted has “many problems”, a survey suggests.
The majority of teachers (90%) said they do not believe single-word judgments are a fair reflection of the performance of a school.
A poll, of more than 4,500 National Education Union (NEU) teacher members in state schools in England, suggests 62% feel the inspection system causes them mental ill-health and 59% say it affects their home life.
The survey, carried out between February 6 and 20, suggests only 3% of teachers believe Ofsted acts as a “reliable and trusted arbiter of standards” and just 4% believe it acts independently of Government.
More than four in five (82%) agreed with a statement that said Ofsted has so many problems that it “would be better to start afresh with a new system of inspection”.
An Ofsted spokesman said: “We inspect schools on behalf of children and their parents, but we are very mindful of the pressures on school staff.
“We have already made several changes to inspection over the last year, focused on school leaders’ and staff welfare. But we have promised to go further to strengthen confidence in our work.
“That’s why we launched our Big Listen last month. We’re asking parents, children, heads, teachers and other professionals to help shape the way we work in future and make sure all children have the best possible education and life chances.”
Here are the high schools in Lancashire that "require improvement", according to Ofsted:
1. Unity College, Townley Holmes, Burnley, Lancashire, BB11 3DF
Report published March 20, 2024: The report stated the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management "required improvement".
2. St Annes College Grammar School, Clifton Drive South, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 1HN
Report published March 4, 2024 | The report stated the quality of education and leadership and management "required improvement".
3. Southlands High School, Clover Road, Chorley, PR7 2NJ
Report published February 6, 2024: The report stated the quality of education and personal development "required improvement".
4. Unity Academy Blackpool, Warbreck Hill Road, Blackpool, FY2 0TS
Report published January 22, 2024 | In a monitoring visit, it was found the school should "take further action to complete its curriculum thinking so that pupils are able to study for a broader range of qualifications that meet their needs and interests." The school should also take further action to "ensure that teachers make effective use of the newly introduced assessment strategies to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge."