Schools are failing to set race equality targets, making education the worst-performing sector in the public services, a survey has found.

Only a fifth of educational bodies responded to the poll conducted by the Commission for Racial Equality, the first to assess the impact of the Race Relations Act of 2000, which followed the Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Although almost 90 per cent of schools said they had either fully or partially identified areas of their work relevant to race equality - services, pupil/parent satisfaction, staff satisfaction, representation and community involvement - it was only in the fifth area of community involvement that more than half claimed work had been done.

Of those who responded, 60 per cent admitted no targets had been set for the area of staff representation.

"The lack of attainment is not just disturbing but is now repeating itself generation to generation," said CRE chairman Trevor Phillips.

"An inclusive school is a good school and that's a motto that can work across all public services."

A spokesman at the Department for Education and Skills insisted that the government was committed to improving equality of opportunity in schools.

"That is why we have recently carried out the most thorough and comprehensive consultation on how we improve the education of ethnic minority pupils, and we will publish our action plan for how to close the achievement gap in the autumn," he said.

"We take on board the CRE's comments, and will continue to work with them and other key organisations to drive through change in our schools."