CLASSROOM standards in Kent are getting better but are stil lagging behind schools in similar education authorities.

A comprehensive report by county education chiefs reveals that while Kent’s 600-plus schools have shown “steady improvement” over the last seven years, the rate of improvement has not been as fast as schools in similar education authorities.

The report’s conclusions are based on a comprehensive analysis of data between 1997 and 2003, including Ofsted inspections, SATs results and GCSE and A level performance.

They indicate standards vary widely between the best and worst schools and that Kent has a relatively high number of poorly performing primary schools. A key finding is that results at Key Stage 2 – tests taken by 11-year-olds – show pupils perform “significantly less well” than children elsewhere in the country.

The report also reveals while there are now fewer schools judged by Ofsted to be unsatisfactory, Kent has fewer primary and secondary schools regarded as “good” or “very good.”

On the plus side, standards in secondary schools based on GCSE results are better than the national average and better than Kent’s so-called “statistical neighbours” – education authorities with a similar social demographic make-up to Kent.

However, the report says the gap between the best and worst secondary schools shows performance at GCSE is “polarised” when compared to elsewhere. That is in part due to the county’s selective system.

It also shows there are now 21secondary schools who not meeting a key Government target of having at least 30 per cent of pupils passing five GCSEs at grades A to C, two more than a year ago.

While the 33 selective grammar schools are among the best in Kent, fewer are rated by Ofsted to be “very good” when compared with those elsewhere in the country.

Cllr Paul Carter, KCC's cabinet member for education, insisted a drive to lift standards was beginning to pay dividends. But he admitted primary schools were not doing as well as they should.

“There are ‘green shoots’ in our Key Stage 1 results but we are fighting hard to get things better. The quality of teaching is not as good as it is nationally but we have put a lot of money into our school improvement service. There is no denying we would like to see primary results better than they are,” he said.

Kent struggled to recruit staff because many opted for jobs in nearby London authorities that were able to pay more through a weighting allowance, he added.