FOUR local schools have been identified in an Ofsted report as not having had a “good” rating since 2005.

Ofsted has today revealed a list of more than 130 schools across the UK they describe as having “consistently under-performed for a decade.”

The Ofsted annual report looks at the 2016/17 academic year, and so does not reflect any visits by inspectors since September.

In Bradford 76 per cent of primary schools were judged good or outstanding as of the end of August. Fifty six per cent of secondary schools achieved that rating, up 15 per cent from August 2016. Since September more secondary schools have pulled themselves up to good or outstanding.

Local schools on the list of "under performing" schools are Dixons Allerton Academy, Knowleswood Primary School in Holme Wood, Merlin Top Primary Academy in Keighley and Pudsey Tyersal Primary School, which was earlier this month re-named Co-Op Academy Beckfield after joining the Co-Op Academy Trust.

Amanda Spielman, the education watchdog's chief inspector, claimed many schools on the list had unstable leadership, problems recruiting, and high proportions of deprived students.

But she hit out at the culture of "disadvantage one-upmanship" in her first annual report, adding: "Schools with all ranges of children can and do succeed."

Dixons Allerton Academy, the former Rhodesway School, is an all-through school with 1,700 pupils aged between three and 18, and was given a requires improvement rating in December.

The inspection report said the school had “ambitious” plans to improve.

Sir Nick Weller, chair of the Dixons Academy Chain, pointed out the school had come in the top 10 for Progress 8 results in the last summer’s GCSE exams.

He said: “I don't understand why we've been included in this report as Dixons Allerton has been open for only eight years.

"Results have shown strong growth in the last couple of years.

“A recent monitoring inspection to the school by Ofsted judged that the school was on track to achieve at least a good rating at its next full inspection, which will be in about a year’s time.”

In January Knowleswood Primary School was given a “requires improvement” judgement by Ofsted, despite being judged good in every area apart from outcomes for pupils.

Pudsey Tyersal School’s last Ofsted report came out in March, when the school was judged inadequate. It joined the Co-Op Academy Trust on December 1 in a bit to improve standards.

And Merlin Top Primary Academy was given a requires improvement judgement in January, in a report that acknowledged improvement since the last inspection in 2015. The school recently joined the Northern Education Trust to try and turn its fortunes around.

Rob Tarn, Chief Executive of Northern Education Trust said: “The Ofsted report made it clear that the schools mentioned had been in endemic failure for a long period of time.

“We are proud to say that the sole purpose of Northern Education Trust, when it was established, was to sponsor such schools to help them to improve.

"We are rapidly moving towards a high impact model of school improvement across the Trust. Merlin Top is improving rapidly - attendance is now above the national average and outcomes for the children will be significantly better than they were a year ago. At its last full inspection in November 2016 the school was rated Good in three out of five categories with the Inspector stating that 'the Principal is determined to improve the outcomes for all pupils and is successfully strengthening the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school.'"

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of National Association of Head Teachers, which represents leaders in the majority of schools said: “It is no coincidence that the very small number of schools that have struggled over many years serve the most disadvantaged communities, despite the tireless efforts of teachers and school leaders to improve outcomes.

“Many leaders of schools working in challenging circumstances tell us that they struggle to recruit teachers and the high stakes low trust accountability regime has been part of the problem.”