This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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A Score of Schools of Ambition
27/06/2005
Twenty secondary schools across Scotland have become the
country's first Schools of Ambition.
Each school chosen has committed to radical programmes
of development to secure significantly improved outcomes
for their children.
Each will each receive extra resources to meet their
plans for improving performance and setting new national
standards, plus possible further support from the private
sector.
The schools are a mix of already high performing schools
wanting to reach even higher, those that need to improve
after poor inspection reports, and those that recognise
they can move their performance up several gears.
The first schools are:
- Anderson High School, Shetland
- Arbroath Academy, Angus
- Barrhead High School, East Renfrewshire
- Blairgowrie High School, Perth and Kinross
- Braes High School, Falkirk
- Braeview Academy, Dundee
- Burnhouse School, West Lothian
- Cardinal Newman High School, North Lanarkshire
- Castlemilk/St Margaret Mary's Secondary,
Glasgow
- Doon Academy Learning Partnership, East
Ayrshire
- Hawick High School, Scottish Borders
- Inverness High School, Highland
- Islay High School, Argyll and Bute
- Kirkland High School and Community College,
Fife
- Newbattle Community High School, Midlothian
- Our Lady's and St Patrick's High School, West
Dunbartonshire
- St Modan's RC High School, Stirling
- St Ninian's High School, East Dunbartonshire
- St Paul's High School, Glasgow
- Wallace Hall Academy, Dumfries and Galloway
During a visit to St Margaret Mary's Secondary in
Glasgow, First Minister Jack McConnell said:
"Schools of Ambition are a major innovation at the head
of our wider education reforms. They represent everything
we want our schools to be about - aiming high, stretching,
challenging and inspiring their pupils.
"Our schools need to have high expectations and
ambitions for each and every one of our pupils, they need
to offer every pupil the opportunity to recognise their
talents and achieve their full potential.
"These, the first Schools of Ambition, have been chosen
because they have demonstrated the vision and drive to
transform themselves, to realise their own potential and to
get the best for every child. Many are building on the
enterprising approaches of "Determined to Succeed", the
highly successful enterprise education programme."
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"These first Schools of Ambition will help set new
standards and demonstrate that their performance can be
transformed or taken to even higher levels.
"The first 20 schools are now ready to begin their
exciting transformation. We will continue to work with the
other bidding schools with a view to bringing them on to
the programme later and when their ideas and ambition is
more fully developed. We will also invite other schools to
put themselves forward in the future. This is a long-term
commitment aiming to transform schools across the whole of
Scotland."
The Schools of Ambition programme was announced by the
First Minister in September 2004 at the same time as the
Executive's legislative programme.
Schools on the programme are those which best
demonstrate that they have the vision and drive to
transform their performance for the long-term benefit of
pupils and the wider community.
In February 2005, Ministers invited local authorities to
nominate schools for the programme. Particular strength in
one area of each school's work and strong school leadership
were among the criteria set out for schools wishing to join
the programme.
Forty-two bids were put forward as Schools of Ambition.
Twenty bids have been selected.
The successful bids will each receive at least £100,000
extra a year while on the programme, plus possible
additional support from philanthropists. Now that the first
Schools of Ambition have been chosen, work can progress on
matching them with potential philanthropic partners.
The schools will now go on to work up detailed, costed
transformational plans, with assistance port from the
Executive's Schools of Ambition support team.
Work will continue with the other bidding schools on
their potential to join at a later date. Local authorities
will also be invited to nominate more schools in the
future.
The Schools of Ambition programme is part of the
Executive's wider modernisation programme which
includes over £2 billion for new and refurbished school
buildings, thousands of extra teachers, an overhaul of the
curriculum and the development of sport, music and new
vocational studies to enrich school life.
Each Local Authority will actively support the
development of each school in the area with the schools
operating with maximum autonomy to school managers. The new
funds for the schools will be in the full control of the
headteacher.