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The remit of the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) is to improve standards of achievement and quality of education in England through regular independent inspection of schools, public reporting and informed independent advice. The annual report for 2000/01 considers current issues of importance, contains the evidence from the year's inspections, and identifies particularly successful schools. Overall, the report finds there are continuing improvements in the quality of teaching and in the leadership and management of schools. The achievements of pupils with special educational needs are found to show improvements both in special and mainstream schools. The problems in the recruitment and, in particular, the retention of teachers are noted. The report highlights two key concerns regarding 1) the gap between the highest and lowest performing schools at secondary level; 2) and the under achievement levels amongst certain groups of pupils including those from ethnic minorities, children in care, children from traveller communities, as well as a significant number of 'missing pupils' of whom very little is known.