Specialist school

The specialist schools programme is a UK government programme which encourages secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas to boost achievement. Currently there are over 2,000 specialist schools; which is over two thirds of the schools in England. The government plans that eventually all schools in England will specialise; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland control their own education systems, and there are no specialist schools in those areas of the UK.

Related Topics:
UK - Secondary school - England - Scotland - Wales - Northern Ireland

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The main benefit of becoming a specialist school is the extra funding, both from private sponsorship and government funds. Once a school has achieved specialist status the government gives the school a grant of £100,000 and an extra £126 per pupil for four years. Another benefit for the programme is that the school is able to select up to 10% of its students, although some choose not to. Specialist schools must still follow the English national curriculum, so the day to day experience may not be that different for students.

Related Topics:
Student - National curriculum

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A 2003 study of the non-selective specialist schools found that they scored almost 10 percentage points higher in their GCSE results than their comprehensive non-specialist competitors. The research, by David Jesson from York University, showed all types of specialist schools performing better than non-specialists. Jesson's data appeared to show that the longer a school had been specialist the better its results. Critics attribute this examination success to the extra funding - and not to the specialism adopted.

Related Topics:
GCSE - Comprehensive - York University

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There are certain criteria which a school must meet to become a specialist school. This includes raising a minimum of £50,000 from private sector sponsorship. Sponsors include charitable trusts and private companies, Microsoft has invested £1.5m in the programme. Schools also have to submit a development plan indicating how they will use the extra funding to raise educational standards, though there is some evidence that schools that have missed their development targets have retained their specialist status - and the funding that goes with it.

Related Topics:
Private sector - Sponsorship - Microsoft

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