A GOVERNMENT shake-up of how schools' performances are ranked has been labelled "insulting" by a Worcestershire headteacher.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has revealed 'coasting' secondary schools, which fail to ensure 60 per cent of pupils gain five good GCSEs, will be ordered to improve or face being turned into academies.

This could potentially affect 27 of the county's secondary schools

Christopher Whitehead Language College supremo Neil Morris said the Government had offered up "tired rhetoric" about improving schools.

He said the new definition of "coasting" does not encourage schools to offer pupils a well-rounded education.

In 2014, 53 per cent of Christopher Whitehead's pupils notched five A* to C grades including English and maths – so it could be classed as coasting under the new regulations, despite being ranked good by Ofsted.

Mr Morris said: "I think it comes across as a typical politician doing a soundbite, but there's a real danger in doing that to appease Joe Public.

"I would ask does she really know what 'coasting' means?

"It's very insulting to the profession.

"Nicky Morgan educates her children at private schools and has little experience, and she's sending out mixed messages.

"On one hand she was talking about pupils' progress, then on the other just about results."

Mr Morris said the Bromwich Road school aims to offer pupils an all-round education rather than simply trying to teach students to pass exams.

Under the current framework, secondary schools are classed as falling beneath the Government’s floor standards if fewer than 40 per cent of children achieve five or more A* to C GCSEs, including English and maths.

In addition to the new 60 per cent GCSE benchmark, schools will also be judged on pupils’ progress.

From 2016, secondary schools that fail to score highly enough in a three-year period on 'Progress 8' – a new accountability measure that shows a child’s progress between the end of primary school and their GCSEs – will also be classed as coasting.

In primary schools, the level will be 85 per cent of pupils achieving an acceptable standard in reading, writing and maths over the course of three years.

Schools which fail to meet the standards for three years will be offered expert help to raise standards and will be required to produce a clear plan for improvement.

Those that fail to do so will be turned into academies.

"I'm not saying we get it right every time, but we work really hard in schools like this one to create well-rounded individuals who can go on to be a positive part of society," he said.

"Education isn't just about getting people good marks in an exam factory.

"Schools keep getting knocked and judged on flawed figures, in a flawed system, with flawed marking, and that's not right,

"Last year's results here were fabulous and we've never been anything other than good or outstanding for the past 13 years.

"Politicians always go back to their tired rhetoric about falling standards for pupils and teaching, but that's absolutely rubbish.

"They need to grow up."

Ms Morgan said: "For too long a group of coasting schools, many in leafy areas with more advantages than schools in disadvantaged communities, have fallen beneath the radar.

"I'm unapologetic about shining a spotlight on complacency and I want the message to go out loud and clear, that education isn't simply about pushing children over an artificial borderline, but instead about stretching every pupil to unlock their potential and give them the opportunity to get on in life."