The rise in the number of schools being judged good or better in the region is the slowest in the country, according to new Ofsted figures.

The East of England showed the least improvement last year, the watchdog warned, being outstripped by the rest of the country and having the lowest proportion of good and outstanding schools (72%) in England. Nationally, the figure is 78%.

The East of England is showing a 6% rise in the number of ‘good’ or ‘better’ schools and this again falls short of the national figure of 9%.

It comes after Suffolk County Council (SCC) chiefs described last month’s GCSE results as evidence the county was on the path to an education recovery following a widely-condemned set of results in 2012.

The county fell from a ranking of 123 out of 151 local authorities in 2011 to 142nd last summer when 51% of pupils achieved five or more A-C grades including maths and English.

The flagship Raising the Bar scheme, a council-run initiative launched in the wake of last summer’s poor results, saw Suffolk’s schools implement a more rigorous pupil tracking procedure and a range of interventions to maximise pupil achievement.

And last month’s provisional figures showed a 5% increase in the number of pupils achieving five or more A-C grades including maths and English in Suffolk.

A SCC spokesman said: “We are focused on making sure every child in Suffolk has the opportunity to fulfil their potential, which includes going to a good or outstanding school.

“Through our Raising the Bar programme, we are working with and challenging schools to drive up educational attainment. Early indication from the latest exam results indicate that schools are making good progress and this work will most certainly continue.”