Secondary school pupils in the North East are not getting the education they need to help them in the future, inspectors have warned.
Ofsted has released its Annual Report for 2018/19, which gives a picture of how early years, schools, furthers education and skills, and social care providers in England are performing.
Only 58% of secondary schools have been rated good or better, which is the same as the previous year.
It is in contrast to primary school ratings, with 90% of schools in the North East judged as good or outstanding.
For nurseries and pre-schools, 98% were rated good or outstanding - above the national figure of 97%.
Emma Ing, Ofsted Regional Director for the North East, said the "picture is not so positive in secondary education".
She added: "Only 58% of our secondary schools are rated good or better, the same as at the end of August 2018.
"Too many secondary pupils are simply not getting the education they need to be well prepared for adulthood.
“It should be noted however that schools in Gateshead have improved, up 20 percentage points in the last year, and they are showing us how it can be done."
Gateshead had the highest rate of improvement across the region, whereas in South Tyneside and Sunderland the proportion of good or outstanding schools declined by 11 percentage points compared with 2018.
But she added: "Education for younger children in the North East is excellent, with a higher proportion of nurseries, pre-school and primary schools achieving good or outstanding than the national average.
“In North Tyneside, 95% of primary schools are rated good or outstanding, while Hartlepool has seen big improvements and the quality of their schools now almost equals this."
In Durham, the proportion of good or outstanding schools declined by four percentage points compared with 2018.
In the North East two per cent of schools were considered ‘stuck’ - judged requires improvement or inadequate for every inspection since September 2006.
Ms Ing said there is huge disparity in the number of exclusions in different schools across the region but as a whole, the North East has the highest rate in England.
She added: “Use of exclusion is a legitimate option for schools but it must always be justified and in the very best interests of all learners, because exclusion is not always the best thing for those excluded.
“The past year has seen some excellent achievements in the North East but there is much more work to be done, particularly in the secondary sector to make sure all learners are given the best opportunities to achieve their potential.”
