Secondary schools are entering almost every child into an English foreign language GCSE in a bid to “game” the league tables, the head of Ofsted has revealed.

Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools in England, has warned headteachers over putting their own interests over that of their pupils.

She said that schools should not feel “under pressure” to boost their position in league tables by entering children for pointless qualifications simply because “the school down the road is doing it”.

Speaking at the launch of Ofsted’s annual report, Ms Spielman cited one school where inspectors noted that every child was required to take a GCSE in sports science, regardless of whether they took any interest in the subject.

Meanwhile, other schools entered practically every pupil for a GCSE in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), even though they were “nearly all” native English speakers.

Ministers acted on Ofsted’s calls to close this loophole, and the league tables published last month were the first time that ESOL qualifications did not count towards a school’s performance.