Poorer quality teaching in the early years of secondary schools is one of the main reasons why many pupils in England are slipping back in their studies, inspectors say.

A report published by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) said gains made in primary schools were not always sustained when pupils went on to secondary school.

The chief inspector of schools, David Bell, said the quality of teaching was a key factor in the dip in achievement.

It is absolutely essential that schools tackle this longstanding area of weakness

David Bell, chief inspector of schools

Mr Bell said teaching was "significantly better" at the end of primary school than at the beginning of secondary school.

And he said there was evidence that more non-specialist subject teachers were being used in the lower secondary years - a "false economy".

"It is absolutely essential that schools tackle this longstanding area of weakness. For too long Ofsted inspections have identified a stagnation in pupils' progress," said Mr Bell.

The chief inspector also highlighted the need for better communication and exchange of information between primary and secondary schools.

Too often secondary teachers were unaware of what pupils had achieved at primary school - and "disaffection was often related to a lack of challenging work".

Teachers' unions rejected the criticism of teaching quality and questioned claims that standards were stalling for the early secondary years.

The Secondary Heads Association pointed to staff shortages and the difficulty in recruiting specialist staff.

And the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said "scapegoating teachers is not the answer".

Better guidance

New national frameworks for the teaching of English and maths should make it relatively easy to improve the teaching, Mr Bell said.

"The framework gives clear expectations of what the pupils are expected to learn, and of course the frameworks have also been giving good guidance to teachers on how they are expected to teach."

Giving teachers the chance to teach in each other's classrooms - as some schools did - might also be a useful way forward.

Some primary schools were getting in specialist teachers so the children had experience of having different people for different lessons.

Options

But also some secondary schools were looking at ways that one teacher could stay with a group of pupils.

"So what we are saying is that there are different ways that this can be tackled but it is a very important issue to tackle for the sake of children's education."

The early secondary years have already been made a priority by the government, which has seen the results of the national curriculum tests taken by 14 year olds improving at only half the rate of those taken by 11 year olds.

The School Standards Minister, David Miliband, said the Ofsted report vindicated the government's drive to transform teaching and learning in "the middle years".

Ministerial pledges

Managing the move from primary to secondary had always been a challenging task, he said, and there was still much to be done.

"We have acted to improve the transfer of pupil information between schools so that this can now be done electronically.

"We have introduced new transition units to provide continuity, so when pupils first arrive they experience a lesson structure they are familiar with and are able to build upon their early successes.

"There are encouraging signs that these measures can make a real difference, but the continuing commitment and contributions of schools and local education authorities is crucial.

"It is essential that we get this right and that children start secondary school on the right footing. We can no longer afford a period of 'lost years'."