Awards comp launched to boost school standards
A MAJOR awards competition celebrating pupil success in the Black Country has been announced at the launch of the region's £28 million challenge to boost exam grades.
High profile prizes including working with the Birmingham Conservatoire, making a film with Iceni Productions and spending a day at the National Physical Laboratory, were revealed by schools minister Jim Knight.
The Government is ploughing an extra £28 million into schools throughout Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton to try and slash the number of underperforming schools, boost the number of outstanding schools and significantly improve the achievements of children in challenging circumstances.
The challenge also supports the Government's national ambition for no school to have less than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and maths, by 2011.
Mr Knight, who is also Minister for the Black Country Challenge, said: "I see the Black Country Challenge as the catalyst needed to achieve the best education for all children. It is local authorities, schools, their staff, pupils and parents - supported by the expertise the BCC can harness - which will bring about change.
"This team effort is worth more, so much more than the extra £28 million investment the Government is putting into the challenge. This is symbolised in the new awards for student achievement in the area, that offer unique prizes that money alone cannot buy."
Work on the challenge started in January and 32 primary schools are now providing extra English and maths support for 1,000 year six pupils.
Forty-one primary and 37 secondary schools have received a total of £500,000 since March to offer booster classes and Easter schools for those taking exams this term.
Mr Knight said the partnership between the four local authorities was working well and now was the time to extend it to schools, parents and pupils.
He added: "Education here is improving. The proportion of pupils getting five good GCSEs has increased by percentage points since 1997.
"But it is not improving fast enough and one of our focuses will be to increase the number of pupils gaining five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics."
Dudley's director of children's services John Freeman welcomed the challenge money as a means of helping to recruit and retain more specialist and expert teachers.
He said: "We are delighted to have secured this additional support to help accelerate the rate of improvement for Black Country schools - which is already well above the national average in many cases.
"It will also help us to close the gap between our highest and achieving and less well achieving schools and improve outcomes in English and mathematics - which are particular issues for some of us."
12:47pm Sunday 11th May 2008
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