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"The performance of schools, and the public’s expectations of them, have both risen, and it is right that inspection should reflect that."

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, said that it would be misleading to make comparisons with previous results.

"This report reflects the first year of the toughest inspection regime we have yet introduced. Schools that may have been judged as good in previous years might only be judged as satisfactory now," he said.

"However, we make no apology for raising the bar - expectations are higher than ever and judgments need to be tougher than ever."

He added that the Education and Inspections Act is introducing tough new powers to turn around schools, closing or replacing them if they do not make adequate progress within 12 months.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College, said that Ofsted and the Government were setting schools up for failure.

"What school leaders need is not more pressure and constantly moving goalposts. Instead the Government and public should trust them as professionals to do the job they were employed to do.

"Ofsted should be part of that supportive improvement process. Currently it is part of the problem.

"Reports such as these will cause a crisis of confidence among the leaders of the profession unless we start to accentuate the positive aspects of schools’ performance."

Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, also said that the rule changes had discouraged and undermined teachers morale.

"Heads often feel that inspection has become a type of Russian roulette following previous arbitrary changes by Ofsted to the rules," he said.

Tony Blair has put schools standards at the heart of his agenda for his final months in office. In the past he has described his priorities as "education, education, education" and last month listed schools standards one of his priorities before he leaves Downing Street.

David Willetts, the Shadow Education Secretary, said despite the inadequacies, one success story of the education system was special schools.

"But the Government is putting more effort into closing good special schools than closing inadequate secondary schools," he said. "We need a moratorium on special school closures.

"The wide gap between the best and worst-performing schools is also very worrying.

"The best way to bridge this gap is by concentrating on discipline, improving behaviour and more streaming and setting in all schools."

In September, national results revealed a big drop in the number of 14 year olds who were able to read and write properly. More than a quarter of pupils fell short of the standards expected of their age group in the English national curriculum tests.Le

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