Programme Objectives
The EiC launch document commits
the DfEE to establishing 100 new specialist schools 'in
inner cities' - i.e. the six areas identified in EiC and
beyond.
While this programme is key to the EiC
package, immediate decisions (for the July 1999 outline
plans) do not have to be taken. The DfEE will issue
further guidance in July, and we shall need to apply in
October / November.
The objectives for this programme
are:
 | To ensure adequate provision of
specialist schools within the identified areas. |
| To expand the programme within inner
city areas, the minimum expected entitlement for
Birmingham will be 6 new specialist schools. |
However, there will also be the
opportunity to bid for a share of the other 50
specialist schools, which are to be placed within inner
city areas.
Key Information
| Application arrangements will be
modified to allow for lower sponsorship requirements
and will recognise the lower performance starting
point of many inner city schools.
| The DfEE acknowledge that there is a
limit to the amount of sponsorship schools can be
expected to raise. £100,000 per school is not
currently easy for Birmingham schools to raise, and
it is recognised that with an increased number of
schools it would become even more difficult. The
DfEE are therefore, reviewing the requirements and
expect them to be eased.
| It may also be announced that
Birmingham schools may be allowed to apply at any
time rather than at the fixed dates for other
schools. |
| |
The role of specialist schools
| (as now) higher standards and
achievements in the specialism
| (as now) school improvement through
a focus on the specialism
| (as now) working with other schools
and the wider community to improve standards
| Potential hosts for Learning Centres
(and links with EAZ's and beacons as appropriate). |
| | |
This last point impacts on the key
initial task:
This will be to identify suitable
schools for specialist school applications, which might
proceed at the same time as Learning Centre proposals.
How many of these will be needed will
depend on how many potential Learning Centres are
identified amongst existing specialist schools.
(Birmingham has currently 7 specialist schools
The location of specialist schools
within an EiC area should be driven by:
| Achieving the role identified
opposite
| Establishing a coherent pattern of
provision with the other elements of EiC and
existing provision - in particular the location of
Inner City Learning Centres, Beacons and EAZ's
| Targeting areas of underachievement
and disadvantage. (Free school meals are the current
basis for giving emphasis to applications from
schools in areas of 'social deprivation').
| The availability of sponsorship. |
| | |
While all the factors above are
essential, it is possible that schools, which become
specialist schools, may not themselves be underachieving
and in certain circumstances may not themselves have
high free school meal figures. They will, however, serve
a network of schools and communities, which are
disadvantaged.
Birmingham's Overview
| This programme supports a number of
general aims of our EDP. |
| Specialist schools are encouraged to
develop excellent practice in particular areas of
the curriculum. |
| This practice needs to be shared
with a network of other schools and the local
community. |
| We need to ensure that pupils across
the city can gain from any specialism developed in
one school. Through the Birmingham Grid for
Learning, the expertise should be made available, so
that all learners can benefit where this is
appropriate. |
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