EDUCATION chiefs across Hampshire have been rapped by a Government minister for “the poor achievement of their most disadvantaged pupils”.

Both Southampton and Hampshire are among local authorities to receive stern letters amid concern over the stubborn attainment gap between children from wealthy and struggling backgrounds.

Ministers fear the apparent success of many schools masks a failure to improve the performance of boys and girls from the poorest homes.

Ofsted inspectors have already been ordered to strip the “outstanding” label from any schools where disadvantaged youngsters are still falling behind.

Now schools minister David Laws has written to Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council demanding “decisive action”.

But both authorities have hit back, insisting school standards are on the rise and that they are already taking measures to pull up low achievers.

Councillor Dan Jeffery, Southampton’s Cabinet Member for Education, said more poorer pupils reached the expected standard in 2013 than in 2011, both leaving primary school and at GCSE.

And the gap between disadvantaged pupils and the rest was smaller in Southampton than across England for both 11-year-olds (16 per cent, compared to 18 per cent) and 16-year-olds (26.6 per cent, compared to 26.9 per cent).

Councillor Jeffery said: “These figures also show that we are closing the gap between the grades achieved by ‘disadvantaged’ pupils and those of other pupils by more than the national average.”

Councillor Peter Edgar, Hampshire’s executive member for education at Hampshire County Council, said Mr Laws had criticised performance at GCSE – not primary level.

The council was focusing on accelerating the progress of free school meal students, ensuring that schools are spending ‘pupil premium’ funding effectively.

Councillor Edgar, pictured, said: “Since 2011, we have seen improvement in the outcomes achieved by disadvantaged pupils. However, there is further work to be done.

“We are working with the regional Ofsted team to provide teachers with the skills to adapt their teaching methods to most effectively engage with this target group of students.”

The department for education (Dfe) initially refused to release the March letter, or the names of the councils it had targeted, but eventually did so in a parliamentary answer.

Mr Laws is known to be concerned that the ‘pupil premium’ money – £2.5bn allocated to schools with the poorest pupils – is not being spent wisely everywhere.

The best schools have employed extra good teachers and staged booster classes, but others have been accused of failing to drive up standards.