Heads seek end of upfront school payments

Headteachers today called on the government to drop its requirement that schools raise ?50,000 before being awarded specialist status.

As the school standards minister, David Miliband, announced a further 245 specialist schools, headteachers complained they had to spend "a ridiculous amount of time" raising money for the programme.

Speaking at the Secondary Heads Association's annual conference, Mr Miliband heralded the end of the "one-size-fits-all" comprehensive system and announced the biggest ever round of specialist schools and a new partnership programme for them.

Mr Miliband told the conference: "We are replacing the old one-size-fits-all system with tailor made learning, built around the talents and needs of every child, to ensure that every child will get the individual attention they need and deserve. Specialist schools are central to this radical reform."

He unveiled plans for a leading edge partnerships programme, involving 103 schools from September, which will see the development of networks between schools to share facilities and expertise, allowing pupils to take advantage of their neighbouring school's specialisms, as well as their own.

From September, 46% of pupils in the maintained sector will be taught in specialist schools. At the end of last year the education secretary, Charles Clarke, announced that he wanted all schools to develop a specialism.

But while John Dunford, general secretary of the SHA, welcomed the announcements, saying the policy was becoming more inclusive, he called for more schools to be granted specialist status to avoid the sector becoming a two-tier system.

He added: "During the last year, heads of these new specialist schools have spent a ridiculous amount of time raising the required ?50,000. This is a very poor use of heads' time, which would be far better spent on the development of teaching and learning in their schools."

To qualify for specialist status, schools must raise ?50,000 in sponsorship and develop a four-year plan that will show how it plans to improve teaching and work with the local community and neighbouring schools. In return they receive a one-off capital grant of ?100,000 and ?123 per pupil recurrent funding initially for four years.

From September there will be a total of 1,454 specialist schools, comprising 503 technology, 189 language, 229 sports, 230 arts, 81 business and enterprise, 14 engineering, 77 mathematics and computing, 121 science colleges and 10 schools with combined specialisms.