Specialist schools programme

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See also: Specialist school

A sigmoid curve with fastest growth around 2004. The most popular specialisms are Technology, Arts, Sport and Science.
Number of specialist designations in England by year and first specialism from 1994 to 2009 (excluding SEN and Applied Learning Colleges)[1]

The specialist schools programme (SSP) was a government programme in the United Kingdom which encouraged primary and secondary schools in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to designate as specialist schools – schools that specialise in certain areas of the curriculum – to boost achievement and diversity.[1][2][3][4][5] The programme was introduced under Prime Minister John Major's Conservative government through the Education Act 1993[6] and was further expanded upon by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's New Labour governments. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) was responsible for the delivery of the programme.[7][8] The scheme ended in 2011 in favour of mainstreamed specialist school funding,[9] by which time 96.6% of state secondary schools in England were specialist, with only 80 remaining unspecialised.[10]

History[]

Major premiership (1993–1997)[]

The Education Reform Act 1988 introduced a new compulsory subject of technology, but there were insufficient funds to equip all schools to teach the subject. A first attempt at developing specialist schools to solve this issue, the City Technology College (CTC) programme between 1988 and 1993, had produced only 15 schools, despite an initial aim of 200. So Cyril Taylor, chairman of the City Technology Colleges Trust (made to oversee the establishment of CTCs), proposed the creation of the new specialist Technology College.[8][11] As a result, in 1992, the Major government released their education white paper Technology colleges: schools for the future. New Technology Colleges specialising in mathematics, technology and science were to be established from already existing secondary schools in hopes of furthering the CTC programme's impact and adding diversity to the school system.[8] The next year's education white paper Choice and Diversity: a New Framework for Schools resulted in the policies implemented by the Education Act 1993. The act allowed secondary schools (both grant-maintained and LEA controlled) to specialise in non-core subjects, thus introducing the new Technology Colleges (later specialist schools) programme.[6] In practice, schools could only specialise as Technology Colleges (hence the name) and specialisation was only available to grant-maintained and voluntary aided schools, as Education Secretary John Patten thought they were more appropriate than LEA schools. The City Technology Colleges Trust would deliver the new programme.[8] Schools wishing to be designated as a specialist Technology College had to apply through a raised private sponsorship bid of £100,000. If accepted, schools with Technology College status were then allocated a government fund equivalent to the money raised that would be spent towards their specialism over a three-year period, re-designating after this period had expired. The required amount of money raised decreased to £50,000 some years later, however the funding received (£100,000) stayed the same. This procedure would be the same for later SSP specialisms, albeit with some adjustments. The first 50 Technology Colleges were successfully designated in 1994.[8][12]

In 1994, after the first designations, new Education Secretary Gillian Shephard opened up the programme to schools under LEA control. This led to some leading members of Labour, who were in opposition, to support the programme, albeit with a different vision for its purpose. This was despite much of Labour originally opposing the programme. This ensured the programme's survival in the future. Shepherd also planned to introduce a MFL specialism, beginning designations in 1995. These were the specialist Language Colleges.[8] In 1996 Cyril Taylor convinced Labour leader Tony Blair to support the programme.[13] By the end of 1996, 182 schools were designated specialists, with the majority being Technology Colleges. In light of this, the City Technology Colleges Trust was renamed to the Technology Colleges Trust. Two new specialisms in the Arts and Sports were also announced, with the first designations beginning in early 1997.[8]

Blair premiership (1997–2007)[]

Following the 1997 general election Labour entered government, with the Conservatives entering opposition. At the time, Labour leader and new prime minister, Tony Blair, rebranded the party as "New Labour". One of New Labour's priorities in government was "education, education, education". This included the diversification of the school system and the replacement of the "bog standard comprehensive" by specialist schools.[14] Blair aimed to have 450 more schools designated as specialist by the end of his first ministry.[11] The new education secretary, David Blunkett, planned to modernise state education by expanding specialist schools, therefore providing greater diversity. He introduced a new compulsory requirement for specialists to share their additional resources with nearby schools.[15] This was known as the "community dimension" and specialist schools had to allocate a third of their funding to it. Blunkett is attributed for bringing the programme to the mainstream education system.[8]

The 1997 education white paper Excellence in Schools introduced policies that would be enacted by the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. These policies included the establishment of Education Action Zones; socially disadvantaged areas where specialisation bids were given preferential treatment over those located elsewhere, and the ability for specialist schools to select up to 10% of their intake on aptitude in the existing specialisms in sports, arts, language and technology.[16][8][17] Few specialist schools took up this option,[18] yet multiple supporters of unselective education accused the government of covertly reintroducing selection.[12] From 1999, the required amount of private sponsorship for bidding schools was halved,[19] and could be made up of goods and services in lieu of cash.[20] Software donations were, however, ineligible because of the difficulty in evaluating the true value of something that had no manufacturing cost and could simply be given away as a form of collateral, but this changed when Oracle and then Microsoft were allowed to sponsor the programme with "in kind" donations.[21] The government also began funding schools unable to afford sponsorship.[19] In 2000, 500 schools were set to be designated specialist by September and in January Tony Blair announced plans to have 800 specialists by 2003. Minister for school standards, Estelle Morris, said that by the next election all secondaries would be specialists or partnered to a specialist.[22]

After the 2001 general election, the second Blair ministry published their education white paper Schools Achieving Success. David Blunkett was replaced as education secretary by Estelle Morris.[23] Morris criticised the comprehensive system and wanted to continue the previous goal of expanding school diversity through having more specialist schools.[24] Schools Achieving Success envisaged expansion of the programme to 50% of secondary schools (1500) by 2005,[20] and, through the ensuing Education Act 2002, introduced new specialisms in Business and Enterprise, Engineering, Mathematics and Computing and Science.[23][25] Combined specialisms were also introduced and schools failing to designate were offered working towards status, granting them further government support for specialisation. Advanced specialist status was also introduced,[26] with Morris inviting 300 of the top performing specialist schools to become advanced in 2002. Advanced specialist schools were training schools[27] that aimed to improve underachieving comprehensive schools.[28] They were led by the first executive headteachers,[29] super-heads noted for their successful leadership of secondary schools.[30] Morris resigned from her position in October 2002 and Charles Clarke became the new education secretary. Clarke discontinued advanced specialist status, announced his intention for all schools to be specialist[31] and "raised the cap" for specialist designations, allowing all schools with satisfactory sponsorships to specialise (previously a limited number of schools were designated each round). A new target of 2000 specialist schools was set for 2006,[8] with there being 992 specialist schools in September 2002.[32] He also introduced the Partnership Fund, funded at £3 million per annum, to make up the shortfall for schools that were unable to raise the required £50,000 of private sponsorship. 20–25% of designated schools utilised this scheme.[32]

To better reflect the increased amount of specialisms now available, the Technology Colleges Trust was renamed to the Specialist Schools Trust (SST) in 2003.[8] That year, further specialisms in Music and the Humanities were introduced and schools were invited to add a curricular "rural dimension" to their designation bids.[8] The dimension was made available to re-designations in 2004.[33] High performing specialist status was introduced in 2004 when 69 specialist schools were invited to establish a second specialism. Unlike combined specialisms, second specialisms were not gifted upon first designation and instead came with re-designation. They were originally offered exclusively to the high performing specialists, alongside the ability to gain training school status and new Vocational and SEN specialisms.[8] In July 2004, Education Secretary Charles Clarke announced that 268 more schools were designated specialist, bringing the total number of specialist schools to 1954.[34] This was the largest expansion of specialist schools to date and meant that the aim for 2000 specialists by 2006 was likely to be met two years earlier than expected. This was over 62% of English secondaries.[35] Clarke also released an educational "five-year plan" that aimed to have all English secondaries be specialist by 2008,[36] with at least one serving every community.[37]

In 2005, the SST was given oversight over the academies programme, thereafter becoming the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).[8] There were 2382 specialist schools[38] and the Schools of Ambition programme launched, bringing the specialist schools programme to Scotland.[3] The Department of Education of Northern Ireland introduced the specialist schools programme to Northern Ireland in 2006, with 12 secondary schools initially designating.[4] By February 2007 85% of English secondaries had become specialist.[39] The programme was extended to English primary schools in a 2007 pilot, where 34 schools were designated with specialisms in Music, Arts, Languages, Science and Sports.[5]

Brown premiership (2007–2010)[]

On 27 June 2007, Tony Blair officially resigned as prime minister after ten years in office, being succeeded by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. Brown had held a key role in influencing New Labour's education policy under Tony Blair and wished to continue the policy of school diversification.[40] By this time the specialist schools programme cost £1.5 billion and was allocated a further £50 million for the next three years.[41] By 2008 approximately 90% of state secondary schools had become specialist schools.[11] In March 2008 the devolved SNP government in Scotland announced the discontinuation of the Schools of Ambition programme. Funding for the programme's 52 schools would however continue until 2010.[42]

Brown's education secretary, Ed Balls, published the 2009 education white paper Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system. In this white paper the specialist schools programme was placed at the core of the new school system and specialist schools were reemphasised as centres of excellence in their specialisms.[43] The programme was centred around five new core principles: exported excellence, specialism excellence, school-wide specialism impact, partnership between schools and cooperation with the local community.[44] The programme was also planned to be built upon using specialist school networks and partnerships. This was part of a greater pledge on school cooperation. The co-location fund was established, a £200 million fund that helped establish specialist venues around schools. These venues included specialist child health clinics, youth centres and sports facilities. Specialist schools were also used to teach new 14–19 diplomas and plans were introduced for cooperation between schools to be embedded into the education system. Specialist schools began sharing staff, offering students from other specialists opportunities on their sites and developing teaching together. The specialist schools programme's accountability regime was simplified, allowing re-designations to be taken locally. The high performing specialist schools programme was also expanded upon, allowing the best schools to be rewarded for improving the specialist system from autumn 2009. School Improvement Partners (SIPs) and local authorities were to take control of designations and re-designations from the SSAT and DCSF,[45] with the pilot for this designation process taking place in autumn 2009. SIPs investigated schools' performance using benchmarks and determined whether they were satisfactory for re-designation. All schools participating in the pilot were successfully re-designated. After the pilot's success, the new designation process was enacted in early 2010.[43]

Discontinuation (2011)[]

Michael Gove at Chantry High School in 2011. The school had been a specialist Humanities College since 2006.[46]

The Labour government lost power soon after the 2010 general election and the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition entered government. The new education secretary, Michael Gove, announced that specialist school funding from the specialist schools programme would be mainstreamed from April 2011. This meant that schools would now have to receive funds for specialisms through the Dedicated Schools Grant and no longer had to designate or re-designate for specialist status. Specialist status is now instead granted based on meeting benchmarks set by the Department for Education. This effectively rendered the specialist schools programme defunct. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was also stripped of government support and could no longer assist in specialist designations, therefore rendering it obsolete.[9] At around the same time, the Scottish and Northern Irish variants of the programme were discontinued.[42][47] By this time, around 96.6% of secondary schools in England were specialists, with exactly 80 remaining unspecialised.[10] In February 2011 the Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb, said this was why the funding was mainstreamed, alongside a government venture for more school autonomy.[48] More types of specialist school have been introduced since the closure of the programme[49] and specialisms introduced by the programme are still available through either academisation or the Dedicated Schools Grant.[9] From 2020, some free schools have been opened with specialist Maths or Science College status under Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's COVID-19 recovery plan.[50]

Designation process[]

The Mathematics and Computing College logo

Schools could apply to be designated specialist in one of ten subject specialisms[51][52] which, when granted, would allow schools to become one of the following specialist schools:

Applications would usually open in March and October each year.[56] Schools initially designating could apply for a combined specialism in two of these specialisms or one of them alongside a vocational specialism which allowed Vocational College (later Applied Learning College) status. Special schools could apply for a SEN specialism, leading to specialist SEN College status in one of the four specialist areas of the , but could not apply for a combined specialism.[51] Re-designating specialist schools could apply for a second specialism. Secondary vocational and SEN specialisms were offered exclusively to high performing specialist schools.[57] From 2005, a secondary vocational specialism gave high performing specialists the right to open a new sixth form college.[58] All schools could add a curricular rural dimension to their designation and re-designation applications.[8][33] This gave specialists an additional curriculum based on rural education. Despite the dimension's focus on rural schools, it was also available to urban and suburban schools.[59]

Prerequisites[]

To apply for specialist designation, secondary schools had to demonstrate reasonable standards of achievement, and produce a three-year (later four-year) development plan with quantified targets related to learning outcomes. Secondaries also had to raise £50,000 in a private sector sponsorship bid[60][61][20] (£20,000 for secondaries with less than 500 students).[51][62] Before 1999, these sponsorship bids had to be £100,000.[19] Northern Irish secondary schools had to raise £25,000.[4] Private sector sponsorship includes charitable trusts, internal fund raising and donations from private companies. In some cases donations could be made in cash from entities in the private sector such as Arcadia and HSBC, but could also be donations "in kind" of goods or services. The total sponsorship during the scheme was of the order of £100 million. The reward for achieving specialist status was a government grant of £100,000 to go with the £50,000 in sponsorship for a capital project related to the specialism and an extra £129 per pupil per year for four years to support the development plan. This was normally targeted on additional staffing and professional development, though up to 30% may have been spent on equipment.[61][63][11] Schools that made a good attempt at achieving their targets over the four-year development plan period normally had their grants renewed at three-year intervals with no further need to raise sponsorship. However, since 2008, the government sought to encourage long-term relationships with business partners by offering a matching grant to re-designating specialist schools that were able to raise a further £25,000 in private sponsorship.

English primary schools did not require sponsorship bids for designation, instead they were selected by their local authorities who then reported their decision to the DCSF. They then gained specialisms based on the cluster they were located in (this was because primaries were placed into one of five locational clusters which dictated the specialisms available).[5]

Designation (1993–2010)[]

Between 1993 and 2010 the majority of English specialist designations and re-designations were granted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).[64][a] In Northern Ireland, they were granted by Education Authority Boards[65] and in Scotland, by local councils.[3]

English secondaries had to apply to the specialist schools unit of the DCSF during one of the two bidding rounds, usually in March or October.[56] They would then have to provide two letters, one from their local authority and one from a sponsor, supporting their application.[64] From 2003, middle and upper schools could submit a joint application for specialist designation and re-designation.[66] Secondaries could also jointly apply, including those of different types. For example, grammar schools were able to jointly apply with secondary modern schools.[67] A school's application had to include its development plan and how the repeating grants would support said plan, reasons for applying for the capital grant, proof of a planned community dimension, information about sponsors and their cooperation with the school and the school's general information.[56] Schools were told to apply for specialisms based on the needs of their local communities, which were determined through dialogue with local authorities and other schools nearby. Under-designated specialisms were preferred by the DCSF, as were the Science and Mathematics and Computing specialisms. The SSAT supported bids, with an exception to bids for Sports College status, which were instead supported by the Youth Sports Trust.[68] From September 2006, specialist re-designations occurred parallel to and were granted based on inspections by Ofsted (the government body tasked with inspecting educational institutions and keeping them in line). Re-designating specialist schools receiving the lowest Ofsted grade would lose specialist status and be given a year to improve. Failure to do so would result in the schools closing down and reopening as academy schools: schools controlled by a sponsor and funded by the government as opposed to its local authority.[69]

Designation (2010)[]

From 1 April 2010, control over English specialist designations and re-designations were transferred from the DCSF to local authorities and School Improvement Partners (SIPs). A new procedure for designation was enforced as a result, with this procedure being trialled in autumn 2009.[70][43]

Designation and re-designation was now granted based on meeting national benchmarks and prerequisites unique to each specialism. SIPs were directed to only accept designation and re-designation applications from schools when they met these benchmarks. Local authorities oversaw SIPs and enforced fairness and accountability in their decisions by comparing them to those in other local authorities. The DCSF was permitted to review these decisions, making sure that SIPs could provide just reasoning for their decision, overruling them should they fail to do so. Schools had to show that they would follow the five principles of the specialist schools programme and meet the prerequisites of their desired specialisms. They also had to show improvement in the subjects of their desired specialism in the three years prior to their application. SIPs were allowed to designate schools that refused to raise any of the required private sponsorship, however the funding that came with specialist status for these schools would be withheld by the DCSF. When a SIP declined a school's application for designation, they had to provide a larger amount of evidence to the school's local authority than if they accepted.[44] Re-designating specialist schools that failed to meet the national benchmarks were put on probation and given a year to improve. Failure to do so would result in the schools being stripped of specialist status.[43]

High performing specialist schools programme[]

Sandbach High School chose four options: specialisms in Language and Applied Learning, training school status and Leading Edge membership[71]

The high performing specialist schools programme (HPSS programme)[72] was a government programme in England that invited successful specialist secondary schools participating in the specialist schools programme to re-designate as high performing specialist schools (HPSS). High performing specialist schools then had to establish a partnership with a school of their choice, gaining additional funds to do so.[73]

Specialist schools that re-designated into high performing specialists maintained their original specialism(s) but were allowed to select one or multiple exclusive HPSS options out of five, allowing them to possibly gain another specialism, join one of three different additional programmes or become a training school. Initially there were two more HPSS options to choose from, gaining either a vocational or SEN specialism,[8][b] however these options were later granted to normal specialist schools as long as they were one half of a combined specialism (which were only available to schools initially designating).[51]

Options and programmes[]

Specialist schools re-designating for high performing specialist status were allowed to choose one or multiple of the following options, granting them further funding to facilitate said option:[72]

  • Gain another specialism
  • Gain a second specialism in either SEN or vocational learning
  • Join the Leading Edge Partnership programme (LEPP)
  • Join the Raising Achievement Transforming Learning programme (RATL programme), later the Raising Achievement Partnership programme (RAPP)
  • Join the Youth Support Trust School Leadership Programme
  • Become a training school

LEPP, RAPP and Gifted and Talented programme[]

The LEPP was established in 2003 by the Department for Education and Skills[75] and was soon followed by the RAPP in 2004.[76] Both programmes were established to solve problems in education. Both intended to do this by establishing partnerships between English secondary schools and,[75][76] in the case of Leading Edge Partnerships, encouraging them to work to raise achievement through the sharing of proven ideas. The lead school in each Leading Edge Partnership received £60,000 per year to facilitate this.[75] The RAPP allowed headteachers and schools to "mentor and coach" underperforming schools, loan staff and replicate achievement made in their own schools.[76] Both programmes were merged and subsumed into the HPSS programme as the new Leading Edge programme, a subprogramme of the HPSS programme. Leading schools in this programme were invited to become consultant school accredited (CSA), thereby gaining consultant school accredited status. CSA status schools were often called consultant schools. Advanced consultant schools were CSA status schools that displayed an ability to help schools across areas of a broad variety. A Gifted and Talented subprogramme was established as part of the HPSS programme. High performing specialist schools participating in the subprogramme became lead schools, schools that specialised in Gifted and Talented education. These schools were meant to give their support to other schools.[73]

Evaluation[]

Percentage of students with five or more passes in their GCSE exams in specialist (crimson) and non-specialist schools (blue) between 1993 and 2005.[77]

Results[]

David Jesson of the University of York published a series of annual studies of the results of the specialist schools programme, on behalf of the SSAT. These studies reported that non-selective specialist schools achieved significantly higher results at GCSE results than non-specialist comprehensive schools, that they achieved higher 'added value' when prior achievement was taken into account, and that the gains had increased with the length of time the school had been specialist.[78][79][80][81] Jesson's statistical methodology was criticised,[82] and others pointed out that early specialist schools were chosen for the programme because they were already successful.[11] Other studies found that specialist schools performed slightly better at GCSE, particularly benefitting more able pupils and narrowing the gap between boys and girls.[20][83][84][85] Subsequent studies attributed the increase to the additional funding,[86][87] and reported that the effect was diminishing as a greater proportion of schools become specialist.[88]

Systemic effects[]

Specialist schools and academies were promoted, notably by Estelle Morris (Education Secretary 2001–2002), as part of an attempt to improve standards by 'increasing diversity' in secondary schools.[89] Left wing commentators had criticised this move away from the comprehensive ideal.[90] The two biggest UK teaching unions had opposed the programme because they said that it created a two-tier education system, made up of specialist schools with extra funding and non-specialist schools which could not have benefited from any extra money.[91] Mike Baker of the BBC reported that a hierarchal "ladder" of schools was being established, in which the "higher they climb, the bigger the prizes they collect". It was worried that some schools, especially those in rural areas, would be left behind while others reaped the benefits of specialist status.[92]

There was also evidence that specialist schools took fewer children from poorer families than non-specialist schools.[32] One possible cause was that it may have been easier for middle-class parents to raise the necessary sponsorship.[82]

Political legacy[]

The expansion of the specialist schools programme is believed to have been one of many New Labour policies taken from the New Right; this ideology encouraged school competition and parental choice through introducing aspects of the free market to education. The "Old Labour" model of all-purpose comprehensive schools was replaced by diversified specialist schools that enhanced parental choice through a marketised education system.[93] The programme was also an example of New Labour's promise to introduce Third Way public service reform through a combination of fairness and neoliberal marketisation. It also maintained the Conservative policy of curtailing local authority and trade union influence in the government's education policy, in favour of political advisers and the voluntary sector. The SSAT's influence in particular often "blurred lines between state and non-state". This may have set the framework for the further curtailment introduced by the coalition government through policies such as the expansion of the academies programme and de-unionisation of teaching staff. During the Blair premiership, the programme also helped centralise the government and disestablish the authority of senior civil servants.[94]

Reactions in the Labour Party[]

Initially, it was expected that the specialist schools programme would be discontinued by the incoming Labour government in 1997, however Labour leader Tony Blair continued the programme under the persuasion of Cyril Taylor.[20][95] Previously, in December 1996, Blair was scheduled to open Carmel RC Technology College in Darlington, which was chaired by his family priest.[95] Taylor joined Blair and his adviser Tim Allan on the train ride to the school, where they conversed about the programme for one hour. Blair enquired about sponsorship, school improvement, enrolment and the proposed community dimension. Taylor presented research produced by the Technology Colleges Trust claiming that Technology Colleges outperformed non-specialist schools. This, alongside Blair's good impression of Carmel RC Technology College, led to the implementation of the programme's expansion as Labour policy.[96][11] Labour's leadership had previously opposed the programme in 1993 and 1994, but some leaders began to support it once schools under LEA control were granted access.[8] This stance was reiterated at the 1996 Labour Party Conference, where it was announced that the programme would be supported as long as all state schools were allowed to participate.[97]

In the run-up to the 1997 general election, Blair criticised the Conservative Party's execution of the programme as "unplanned and incoherent". The Conservatives' target for 900 more specialist schools by 2001 was promised to be reduced to 300 under a Labour government and specialist schools would have to support other local schools if they wished to receive funds for equipment. Labour claimed that this local support would invalidate the controversy surrounding specialist schools' right to partial selection and promised that this right would be maintained.[98] During his premiership, Blair praised the programme as giving children "a fair chance", defending it as "not the enemy of social justice and educational advance but the route to it."[99][100] Similar attitudes praising the programme for boosting quality and achievement in schools that had specialised were frequently expressed by ministers of the New Labour governments and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.[101][102][103][104][105][106][107]

Labour's education secretaries held differing views on the programme. David Blunkett had formed a friendship with Cyril Taylor in 1996 when they met at his son's school and began supporting the programme after its teachers expressed confidence in specialisation. Estelle Morris, who was a former teacher at the Sidney Stringer Specialist Technology College, also gave her support. However, Blunkett was attracted by the improvements brought by specialist status whereas Morris was more keen on diversity.[97][8] Charles Clarke was sceptical of the programme owing to his origins as chief of staff under Neil Kinnock's Labour leadership (1983–1992), but became optimistic after becoming education secretary. Clarke desired to have all schools specialise and allowed any with a satisfactory sponsorship to do so.[108][8] Clarke's scepticism of the programme briefly resurfaced after David Jesson investigated selection and its impact. In response Clarke condemned Kent, which operates under a selective school system, for its failing school outcomes. He also suggested that local authorities evaluate selection. Clarke discontinued voicing his concerns soon after, leading some observers to note that it seemed he was "told to keep quiet about it".[109] His successor, Ruth Kelly, viewed the programme as improving schools through collaboration between them and external sponsors.[103]

In 2003, the Education & Skills Select Committee, whose membership was mostly made of Labour MPs, found no evidence for the programme's success at raising standards.[110] One of its Labour members, David Chaytor, had previously warned that specialising all schools would be a "recipe for chaos".[111] Chaytor was one of many Labour backbencher MPs who opposed the specialist schools programme and campaigned to prevent it from replacing the comprehensive system, warning that specialist schools would introduce two-tier education and turn their comprehensive counterparts into sink schools.[112] Former Labour education secretary Shirley Williams voiced similar concerns surrounding two-tier education in 2001.[113]

Reactions in the Conservative Party[]

The Conservatives introduced the Technology Colleges Programme in 1993 at the behest of Cyril Taylor.[8] It was initially meant to expand the CTC programme and mitigate its failure (only 15 CTCs were established since 1988, despite a target for 200). This soon evolved into the specialist schools programme, with specialist status in Language, Arts and Sports being introduced.[114]

The Conservative manifesto for the 1997 general election promised to continue the specialist schools programme, with a target of introducing 900 more specialist schools over the next five years.[98]

Conservative Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins criticised the programme as "floundering",[115] "half-hearted" and doing "little to improve academic achievement, classroom discipline and school pride",[116] further stating that Labour were "stealing" Conservative policies.[117]

In 2020, Boris Johnson's second ministry announced their plans for education, including the introduction of more specialist schools. It is believed that this may have been inspired by the specialist schools programme.[118]

Reactions in the Liberal Democrat Party[]

The Liberal Democrats originally supported the programme under their education spokesman Phil Willis from 2000,[119] but he later criticised it as "Tory policy being delivered by a Labour government" in 2004.[117] Willis believed that poor schools were the least likely to receive specialist funding despite needing it most and condemned the fact "that the government clings to its demands for a £50,000 entrance fee for our poorest schools whilst at the same time offering £60,000 per year to private schools to allow them to become specialist colleges."[120] Despite this, one of Willis' policies should the Liberal Democrats have won the 2005 general election would be to continue the programme.[121] His successor, David Laws, criticised the programme as "counterproductive" and echoed Willis' concerns over poor schools' lack of funding, calling it "absurd".[104]

In 2003, the Education & Skills Select Committee found no evidence for the programme's success at raising standards and Liberal Democrat member Paul Holmes concluded that "It seemed to be the extra money and the management process going into that school that made the difference."[110]

Legacy[]

By 2010 the coalition government considered the English education system as a "near-universal specialist system", citing this as the reason for the discontinuation of the programme.[9][48] There was also consensus between both its supporters and detractors that it had increased attainment in education.[122] By 2011 96.6% of state secondary schools in England were specialist, with only 80 remaining unspecialised.[10]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Prior to 2007 the Department for Children, Schools and Families was known as the Department for Education and Skills, which in turn was known as the Department for Education and Employment prior to 2001.
  2. ^ Special schools were also allowed to gain SEN specialisms.[74]

References[]

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