Literacy news
Gove announces £110m fund to raise standards in underperforming schools
4 Nov 2010
Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced that £110m will be set aside in an education endowment fund designed to raise standards in underperforming schools.
The fund will distribute money to local authorities, academy sponsors, charities and other groups that design innovative proposals to improve performance in the most challenging schools. Those bidding for funding will have to outline how their proposals will raise attainment. Bidders must also demonstrate how they will be held accountable for the success of their proposals.
Gove said:
"The international evidence shows that we're falling behind other countries educationally, and we have one of the most unequal school systems in the developed world. That's why we need to press ahead with reforms that will raise standards for all children.
"This new fund builds on the success of President Obama's Race to the Top scheme. It will make schools and local authorities compete to help the poorest. Each project will have to meet tough criteria in order to be awarded funding, and bidders must prove their innovative, bold and rigorous approaches will support school improvement."
The team administering the fund will be appointed following an "open competition". It is also hoped that contributions from other organisations and philanthropists will add to the fund.
Christine Blower, NUT general secretary, said:
"An education system funded by rich philanthropists is no substitute for a properly state-funded system of education in which funding is distributed equitably according to need, not based on the lobbying power of individual schools. The lesson from the US is that all schools lose out when funding depends on individual philanthropists rather than a fully state-funded system of education."
Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham said:
"We support outstanding schools working with struggling schools, but are concerned about a lack of accountability in the process for distributing funding. We will watch closely to see whether the education endowment fund delivers the results Michael Gove hopes for."
Read more on the DFE website.
