A number of reviews carried out by local authorities into cases where children were killed, abused or neglected have been branded "inadequate" by education watchdog Ofsted.

Releasing quarterly results into evaluations of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) carried out by 27 local authorities, Ofsted revealed reviews carried out by East Sussex and Birmingham were inadequate.

SCRs are undertaken by the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) of local authorities typically when a child dies and abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor in the death.

Ofsted judged the majority of the reviews that took place at 27 local authorities in the last three months were "good" or "adequate".

East Sussex said their "inadequate" evaluation was due to errors on how the report was written and not because of their approach to safeguarding children.

SCRs undertaken by Haringey LSCB in north London, which was heavily criticised following the death of Baby P, were branded "good" by Ofsted.

SCRs can also be undertaken when a child receives a potentially life-threatening injury through abuse or neglect and when a child has been subjected to serious sexual abuse.

Other circumstances that would call for a SCR are when a parent has been murdered and a homicide review is being initiated or where a child has been killed by a parent with a mental illness.

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said: "This was not a judgment on our services, it was not a judgment on how well these cases were handled or on how well we keep children safe.

"In fact in its 2008 annual performance assessment Ofsted rated our Children's Services as being outstanding at keeping children safe.

"This was a judgment on how well a report was written by an independent report writer for an independent multi-agency board, the LSCB."

A spokesman for Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board said: "We are currently appealing against the Ofsted judgment and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment."

Ofsted would not give the total amount of SCRs that had taken place in the quarterly period as they only publish those they have evaluated.