The DCSF is allocating a further £200m of existing resources to the National Challenge in addition to the £200m already pledged up to 2011. The National Challenge aims to achieve the government’s goal that in each secondary school at least 30 per cent of pupils will achieve five ‘good’ GCSEs including English and maths by 2011. In 1997 there were 1,610 schools below this 30 per cent minimum standard; currently there are 638.

Each National Challenge school will have a National Challenge Adviser appointed at an expected cost of £20m. These advisers will support each school directly with their expertise and will broker a tailored package of additional support for every school. These school plans will draw on the remaining £380m of National Challenge funding and will need to reflect the individual circumstances of each school and its risk of not meeting the 30% benchmark by 2011.

The government anticipates that £20m of the £380m will go towards National Leaders of Education (150 ‘superheads’) and other leadership support and £100m towards teaching, learning and study support. The balance in funding could mean that up to 70 National Challenge schools could be converted into academies (£195m) over and above existing plans, and that up to 120 new trust schools could be created (£65m).

The DCSF is also to invest £24m in training specialist primary school maths teachers and offering them incentives, following a review published last month by Peter Williams.

www.dcsf.gov.uk