SPECIALIST schools, a central aspect of the Government's reforms of secondary education, have come under fire. Dan Kendrick examines their success in Worcestershire

A CROSS-party report has warned Education Secretary Charles Clarke there is not enough evidence of success to expand the specialist school programme.

The Government has spent £400m on the scheme since 1998 and is planning to double their number - from 992 today to 2000 in 2006.

Under the system, schools can apply for specialist status in a variety of areas, such as sport - Droitwich High School - and the arts - Bishop Perowne CE High School.

Other subjects include business and enterprise, science and music, and mathematics.

Schools bidding for specialist status have to raise £50,000 and draw up a four-year action plan stating how they would use the status to raise standards.

Successful schools receive £100,000 - plus £123 per pupil more than ordinary comprehensives - and are able to select up to 10 per cent of pupils on aptitude.

In Worcestershire, increasing numbers of schools are striving to achieve specialist status.

Clive Corbett, head of Pershore High School, which has specialised in technology, is convinced of the value of the system.

"We became a specialist in technology because of the value IT has for so many other areas of the school," he said.

"Improvements to our computers have helped us develop many other subjects because things are becoming so IT based.

"Of course, we understand people will look at results and league tables first and foremost, and as we get extra money they will expect better results. But our specialist technology status is a massive boost to the wider community in Pershore.

"We're associated with 12 first schools and three middle schools, and we send a trained member of our IT staff, along with laptop computers, to each of them. This will not yet improve our results but is a big advantage for those children who can use our facilities."

Mr Corbett is also pleased the extra money helps benefit adults in the Pershore area.

"We run out-of-hours IT training for local people, primarily sixth formers and adults," he said. "It will always be demanded we improve results and we will always strive to do so, but technology status has had an impact on the whole community, not just the school."

With under-funding such a high profile issue in county education, some specialist schools claim the extra cash from their status is a necessary boost.

"If we did not have the additional money we would be going through a gruelling time at present," said Kevin Peck, head of The Chase High School, Malvern.

"With funding such a problem it's been a huge help. In fact, in Worcestershire at the moment, it just helps us protect ourselves from the worst of the crisis."

However, Mr Peck emphasised that the money the specialist technology status had brought to the school made a material difference to students' education.

"The IT facilities here are wonderful, so what we are able to do is offer great experience to all our pupils," he said.

"I'm sure people can produce arguments to say results have not improved sufficiently, relative to the additional money we receive.

"But the exam results we have at The Chase are very good and some of that must be down to the extra money we are given and the excellent facilities we can therefore offer our pupils."

The Department for Education and Skills has endorsed the county's positive appraisal of the system.

"The results from specialist schools speak for themselves," a spokesman said. "It is flying in the face of the facts to suggest they do not make the real difference they do throughout the county."

However, a three-month investigation by members of the Commons Education Select Committee, said the scheme had shown no proof of raising standards or increasing choice.

"The Government think it works, they are not quite sure why it works and we don't think that's good enough," said Barry Sheerman, the committee's chairman.

Specialist schools were also heavily criticised by the investigation for claiming to improve diversity for parents and pupils.

"Parental choice is limited by geography and the haphazard manner of specialist school development and distribution. The system delivers schools that are largely identical in curricular terms, but different in terms of funding and resources," the report said.

But while the debate rages on in London, specialist schools in Worcestershire are happily accepting the fruits of the scheme.