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Chris Parr – 020 7501 6750
Illustrator
Christos Mais
Editorial advisory panel
Counting the cost of
Geoff Brookes, Deputy
headteacher, Cefri Hengoed
Comprehensive School, Swansea.
Neill Morton, Headteacher,
Portora Royal School, Enniskillen.
Alex Wood, Headteacher, Wester
Hailes Education Centre, Edinburgh.
naming and shaming
Ray Tarleton, Headteacher,
South Dartmoor Community
College, Ashburton, Devon. Hilary
Moriarty, National director,
Boarding Schools’ Association.
The National Challenge has been slammed by teachers
Tina Stockman, Teacher of art and
National Challenge: The story so far
media studies, Harlaw Academy,
and unions alike. Here, the head of a National Challenge
June
Aberdeen. Dr Bernard Trafford,
school explains the shocking extent of the damage that
National Challenge announced with a list of 638 schools identified
headteacher, The Royal Grammar
School, Newcastle upon Tyne. Chris
which, at the time, were not achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE
Fenton, Assistant headteacher,
has been done to her school, its staff, and its students
including English and maths.
William Harrison School, Schools minister Ed Balls announces £400 million in funding to
Lincolnshire. Paul Ainsworth,
support these schools in achieving the benchmark target. He says
Deputy headteacher, Belvoir High
The school where I work was ing, many staff chose to apply for broke just as year 6 students were
that 70 of them could be converted into academies, and that up to
School, Leicestershire. Mark Blois,
named (and shamed) as one of the and secure jobs for the following being allocated places for September 120 new trust schools could be created.
Browne Jacobson.
Department for Children, Schools September. at schools across the area. To say there
The extra money for these schools is to be focused on one-to-one
and Families’ (DCSF) National Up until this point, some of those was an unseemly scramble to get into
tuition and study support, and extra support for “weak” English and
Sales director
Challenge schools back in June members of staff had expressed no other schools is an understatement.
2008. interest whatsoever in leaving. I did I suspect all schools, except ours,
maths departments. There is anger after it is revealed that, of the
Matt Govett – 020 7501 6735
At the time I was shocked. It my best to counsel them to stay and heard more admission appeals this
National Challenge schools, 16 are rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted,
Commercial director
Jon Benson – 020 7501 6767
must have been a closely guarded to persuade them that the school summer than for many years. while another 147 are “good”.
Sales executive
secret, because neither my school would not close, but they did not The net effect was that we went
Calum Hogg – 020 7501 6706
improvement partner nor my DCSF believe me. After all, they had read from being over-subscribed for that
August
Classified sales
links knew about it. it in the paper so it must be true. year 7 intake by nearly 200 applica-
Rachel McElhinney – 020 7501 6728 I suspected that being named This meant that we started the tions to having just 190 students
The summer exam results see around 200 of the National Challenge
Subscription manager and shamed was a disaster – and so new academic year without a head start in September instead of 240. schools move above the 30 per cent benchmark, but confusion reigns
Chris Hoskins it has been proved. Having fired off of maths, head of science, head of This has had a disastrous effect on
as heads admit that they have no idea whether this means that their
Circulation director a furious email to the DCSF I was design and technology, two sci- our budget.
Sally Boettcher
schools are now off the National Challenge list.
initially placated with the promise ence teachers, and one ICT teacher. Having managed the budget
of extra funding, but as of a couple These are key posts and the staff we prudently for years, we were sud-
of weeks ago that had yet to mate- lost were excellent. denly plunged into deficit because September and October
Circulation department:
rialise and, as with so many of the It is ironic that National we are 50 year 7 students “short”.
Tel: 01722 716997
The government announces the first schools to become National
government’s promises, appeared Challenge schools desperately need If being named and shamed
Fax: 01722 716926
to be an empty one. good staff, and yet the act of becom- were not such a disaster it would be
Challenge Trusts, making them eligible to receive up to £1 million to
email: subscriptions@
When the school was first put ing a National Challenge school has funny. One laugh-out-loud moment
fund improvement plans. Plans to turn a further three schools into
markallengroup.com
on the list of 638 “failing” schools, caused severe staffing shortages. was the proposal to replace some of academies are also revealed.
UK annual rates:
the press really went to town. A full- In addition, staff who had been the 638 schools with academies. We
Education unions say that for some National Challenge schools,
page colour picture of the school appointed ready for the following already are an academy!
the funding will be a welcome support, but still continue to express
Personal £45
appeared on the front page of the September rang up to withdraw. Initially, this proposal cheered
local newspaper under the headline: Despite having been offered and me up. The prospect of another
anger at the scheme and its impact on schools. Philip Parkin from
Institutional (libraries,
companies etc) £100
“Threatened with closure.” accepted posts, two members of sponsor investing yet another £2
Voice tells SecEd: “The crude measure used to identify them is a
Europe annual rates:
Year 10 and 11 students were staff said they would not be joining million seemed good. This would be disgrace and doesn’t reflect any understanding of what a school is
Personal £92
particularly worried by this and the school in September because more than enough to offset the loss
about, or the impact of the environment in which it operates.”
Institutional £165
many approached me in the play- it was threatened with closure and of funding for 50 year 7 pupils.
Rest of world annual rates: ground to ask if the school would this, to their way of thinking, negat- However, it has been rumoured,
Personal £113 close before they had a chance to ed the legal agreement they had but never publically-confirmed, that
November
Institutional £209 take their GCSEs. Younger students entered into because they would not existing academies should never The government announces £1 million for gifted and talented student
asked when we would close. knowingly have applied to a school have been on the list.
work and other support in around 50 secondary modern schools on
Printed by
When I explained (with fingers that was going to close. The second laugh-out-loud
Pensord Press, Wales
the National Challenge. Details of 144 National Challenge advisors
crossed behind my back) that we Some six months on, the legacy moment occurred in August when
would not be closing, they challenged of being named and shamed is that our results went up spectacularly
are also released.
Published by
me and said their dad had read it in we are carrying a number of vacan- from 38 per cent five A* to Cs at
Speaking at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s national
the paper so it must be true. cies and we are finding it far harder GCSE to 50 per cent, and from 23 conference, schools minister Jim Knight says he is hopeful that details
Staff asked me as well when to recruit staff than ever before. It is to 29.1 per cent including English
of National Challenge funding for most local authorities will be
we would close. Morale plummeted like having the label “special meas- and maths.
available by the end of the year.
and despite my protestations to the ures” – it puts people off applying. I agree we did not make the
St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road
contrary in briefing every morn- To add insult to injury, the news floor target, but we were very close
Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB
and the results are a considerable So what of the promised fund- I would be lucky to get £20,000. The
www.markallengroup.com
improvement on the Fischer Family ing? Did the funding appear in good reason? We were so close to the floor
Trust indicator of 19 per cent. time to make a difference for the target anyway. In the end, we were
Not so long ago, this academy next academic year? No. given more than their prediction, but
had nine per cent five A* to C, and Up until a couple of weeks ago much, much less than what I think
that was before the measure includ- it had yet to appear. I had costed out we need.
MA Education Ltd is an independent
ing English and maths had been in detail what would be needed to I think the DCSF has scored the
publishing company also responsible

Staff asked me when we
would close. Morale
plummeted and many staff
invented. We have come a long ensure the academy met the floor most enormous own goal over this.
for education titles Early Years
way in the past few years and were, target. The total came to £272,000. I feel it has had its fun naming and
Educator and 5to7 Educator.
I believe, on the right track. By I was told to discuss this with shaming us. It has had its pound of
© All rights reserved. No part of SecEd may be reproduced,
chose to apply for jobs for the
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any
naming and shaming us, the DCSF my new National Challenge school flesh and I feel used and shabby. I
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without prior written permission of MA Education
has done irreparable damage to our improvement partner – the ordinary now want the DCSF to have to pay
The publisher accepts no responsibility for any views or opinions
following September
expressed in SecEd.
progress and I believe it will take us school improvement partner having for its fun. Forget about “the quality
ISSN 1479-7704

at least two years to recover. met a very ignoble end. They told me of mercy” – show me the money.
 SecEd • December 11 2008
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