NATIONAL CHALLENGE
In June 2008 the DCSF published the document “National Challenge: A toolkit for schools and local authorities” and this set out its National Challenge initiative.
The 2008 Budget had allocated £200 million for the programme and an additional £200 million has now been provided resulting in total project funding of £400 million.
The DCSF expectation is that by 2011 every secondary school will have at least 30% of its pupils gaining five or more good GCSEs. If by that time there are still schools below the target, the expectation is that they will close or be replaced by an Academy of a National Challenge Trust.
The DCSF has identified schools which are currently below the target level and has written to each local authority with details of the schools in its area, although authorities are already likely to know which ones they are. Letters were sent out in June and authorities have been asked to provide the DCSF with plans for improvement. These must be submitted by the end of July.
Every school below the DCSF target will receive support from a National Challenge Adviser and the DCSF will develop a menu of programmes which can be used to create a tailored package of school improvement support.
Responding to the challenge will involve authorities considering a range of measures; from curriculum innovation to the development of federations or the closure of schools. Clearly, change on this scale is an element of the planning of future educational provision and for this reason the National Challenge cannot be seen as an initiative within its own boundaries. It must be considered as one of the major drivers of an authority’s overall planning and will be a significant component of the Building Schools for the Future programme.
This reinforces the need for the maximum relationship between all of the elements of a Children’s (Education) service and highlights the need for information to be readily available to all of the people involved in the planning process. Good, shared, computerised systems are essential and they must contain accurate, current data; from GCSE results, numbers on roll and future predictions, to the condition and suitability of school premises and curriculum analysis to identify future building need.
There has rarely been a time when an authority’s access to comprehensive and reliable data has been more necessary than in the current climate where there are tightly defined targets to meet and the educational provision of the country in the 21st Century to plan for.
If you feel that we can assist you in obtaining, reviewing or refining condition and suitability data, or in specifying the space requirements of new or adapted buildings through curriculum analysis, please contact us.
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