How the Budget will impact on ... Education

Mar 13 2008 by Cheryl Mullin, Liverpool Daily Post

MORE than 600 secondary schools were given three years to improve or face closure as the Government stepped up its drive to raise standards.

The Chancellor brought forward the deadline to meet Gordon Browns key target for there to be no schools where fewer than 30% of pupils achieved five good GCSEs.

The 638 secondary schools currently in this position, a fifth of the total in England, must meet the target by 2011, a year earlier than previously planned.

The Chancellor said £200m would be spent on raising standards in weak schools.

Mr Darling told MPs: If we are to compete in the future it is essential to do even more to drive up standards in education and to improve skills. We have cut the number of under-performing schools dramatically in the last decade.

And, building on last years Spending Review, we will raise standards even further to create greater opportunity for all children.

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls) will be investing £200m to bring forward by a year to 2011 the Governments aim for no schools to have fewer than 30% of its pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs, including English and maths.

The Treasury said the Government would expect all schools to have reached this target by 2011, or they would be subject to formal intervention.