No excuses

Minister’s stark warning as five Oldham schools fail to make the grade

SCHOOLS secretary Ed Balls last night issued a stark warning to five Oldham school that Government demands to raise standards or face closure were “uncompromising.”

Talking to the Chronicle, Mr Balls said head teachers who protest at threats to axe under-performing schools are guilty of believing that local children are incapable of success.

Many heads reacted angrily when Mr Balls first threatened to shut any school falling short, or turn it into a privately-sponsored city academy‚ or trust school .

Mr Balls said: “The schools which were really upset were where the head teachers said: ‘Why can’t you leave us alone because this is what children around here can achieve. Instead of labelling us as failing, celebrate our achievements’.

“My answer is: ‘Your achievements aren’t good enough, I don’t want excuses like that and other schools in tougher circumstances than you do it through great leadership — so get on and do it.’”

The 2008 GCSE results reveal there are still 440 secondaries across England at risk of closure unless results improved by 2011, including five across the borough.

They are schools where less than 30 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSEs no lower than grade C including English and maths, judged the most important subjects.

According to latest results only 28 per cent of students at Grange School and Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport, 27 per cent at Breeze Hill, 23 per cent at Counthill school and 21 per cent at St Augustine of Canterbury RC school achieved the required standard.

However, last year there were seven under-performing schools so there has been an improvement.

The five Oldham schools, along with other schools across the borough which are just above the 30 per cent threshold will now be targeted with intensive support and extra money through the National Challenge programme.

In the interview, Mr Balls said he was confident he would eliminate all underperforming schools by 2011 and while wanted problems resolved at local levels, would do whatever it took to help children achieve their potential if necessary.

Mr Balls has stopped short of labelling underperforming schools as ‘failing’, but Gordon Brown did use the term when he set the new benchmark for success in late 2007.

Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Councillor Kay Knox said: “Every school is committed to raising standards so that their pupils can achieve their potential.

“There are five Oldham schools which are not meeting this target, and the performance of four of these, Counthill, Breeze Hill, Grange and St Augustine’s will be tackled through our Building Schools for the Future (BSF) proposals.

“Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport, in spite of achieving its best results ever is achieving just under the Government’s target.

“While we are not proposing to close the school under BSF, we are working with them as they actively pursue Trust status and build relationships with a range of partners who will bring additional support and expertise to the school.

“The school is also innovating extensively in the way it organises teaching and learning and personalises the curriculum for pupils to give them the best chance of achieving well.

“The significant investment we are proposing for Hathershaw through BSF funding will also strengthen this improvement.”