CHANGING how education inspectors label schools will make little difference to what teachers are doing in the classroom, say county headteachers.

Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw was defending Government proposals to replace the ‘satisfactory’ mark awarded to schools by inspectors with “requires improvement”.

He said the ‘satisfactory’ rating, was a “false designation”, saying inspector’s reports on a school’s progress and attainment showed there was room for improvement.

Sir Michael said he was concerned about schools which had got a satisfactory rating overall for two inspections, saying he did not want schools “coasting”.

A school can currently be judged as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate.

Sir Michael said: “Of particular concern are the schools that have been satisfactory two inspections in a row. This is not good enough.”

There are 28 schools in Worcestershire that have back-to-back satisfactory inspections (see panel).

But Kate Brunt, headteacher of one of those schools, St Clement’s CE Primary in Henwick Road, St John’s, Worcester, said people had to look at each school’s circumstances.

She said “This school was in 2006 a low satisfactory, and I took over in 2007. We were inspected again in 2010 when we scored 14 per cent outstanding, 61 per cent good, and 25 per cent satisfactory and overall were satisfactory.

“If we were inspected tomorrow we would be given a good rating, I’m sure. It’s amazing how far the school has come in five years.”

In three years, the number of youngsters at the school getting basic maths and English jumped from a third to more than three quarters.

Mrs Brunt is even sent in to other schools by the county council to advise and support other teachers.

She said in the past year, the focus on pupils’ progress as well as attainment had improved inspections.

“If you want to find out about a school, read the inspection report and go and see it working,” she said.

Caroline Browne, headteacher of Evesham High School and Simon De Montfort Middle School, said: “I don’t know any school that just wants to be satisfactory.

“For every school, the ability of their children’s intake is different so for some the jump is bigger than for others.

“We all need a kick up the backside sometimes, but it’s about supporting people and getting the best out of them, not condemning them.”