Too many of England's pupils stall in their learning when they move from primary school to secondary, according to the chief inspector of schools.

David Bell said this "discontinuity" - which could even see pupils fall back - was a "very significant issue".

He told a conference in London organised by the Education Network that those who suffered most were those at risk of being expelled.

But he also said the drive to keep difficult children in mainstream schools was "an issue that is rumbling in the system".

The inspectorate which Mr Bell leads, Ofsted, is to report more fully on the school transfer issue next week.

Better support

"We will be highlighting that there are still some very significant issues to deal with on continuity," Mr Bell said.

Secondary schools stand accused of not making the best use of information provided to them by primary schools on their new arrivals.

And Mr Bell believes youngsters stepping up need more support than they currently get.

"Surprise, surprise, for youngsters who are at risk of exclusion, discontinuity is the final straw that puts them out of the system altogether."

Rumblings

But he said the drive to include more pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties in mainstream schools was causing problems.

He said "inclusion", while laudable, should not be allowed to become an "ideology".

"It is an issue that is rumbling in the system. People have got serious concerns about this."

"It's fair to say we are still struggling to provide adequately for pupils who present behavioural difficulties. We don't do the inclusion debate any good by running away from difficult issues."

The National Children's Bureau has warned that the years nine to 13 can be the most difficult for children, and yet there are few services targeted at that age group.

Minister agrees

The Education Secretary, Estelle Morris, has also expressed her concern about the "middle years" of schooling.

She said her extension of the literacy and numeracy strategies to cover the 11 to 14 group would help provide continuity, and she had given local education authorities money to experiment with ways of improving links between primary and secondary schools.

"My feeling is that, over the last 10 years, schools have done well at getting the social transition right so that it has not been as scary for children," Ms Morris said.

"But we have not done enough to get the academic transition right and David Bell is absolutely right to draw attention to that."