SCHOOL leaders in East Lancashire are among those across the North West to voice widespread concerns in a new State of Education report.

The survey complied by The Key, an organisation that provides leadership and management support to schools, said leaders felt they were overworked, disenchanted and unsure whether any political party was equipped to take education forward.

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In the North West, the organisation received 100 responses which highlighted concerns including bullying, the inspection system and the creation of free schools.

Whilst 95.2 per cent said the quality of teaching in England’s schools was fairly or very good, 48.8 per cent felt the current inspection system was poor or very poor.

The survey has also shown that bullying was a big concern in the region with 60.3 per cent thinking cyber bullying may affect their pupils and a further 40.5 per cent bullying.

More than a quarter said the introduction of no-notice inspections would have a very negative impact on the quality of education in England’s schools over the next 18 months, while more than eight in 10 think the creation of free schools would have a negative or very negative impact.

Xavier Bowers, headteacher at Mount Carmel RC High School in Accrington, said: “Despite these results, I think on the whole education in East Lancashire is as strong as it has ever been.

“All teachers and senior leaders will say that there are not enough hours in the day.

“With the accountability agenda, which is driven by Ofsted, the pressures on schools can be very harsh and that can cause concerns.

“However, I think that the education system is strong in the region despite the widespread change over the last few years.”

Fergal Roche, chief executive officer of The Key, said: “School leaders are clearly telling us that they are fed up with the constant changes and are, unsurprisingly, disenchanted as they face continued challenges around tightening budgets, a shortage of places and a hefty workload.

“While there have been some positive reforms, the findings demonstrate the frustration that is being felt with politics across the board as school leaders call for less interference from Westminster.”