This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Schools of Ambition programme
23/02/2005
Schools across Scotland were today invited to become the first to join the Schools of Ambition programme.
Ministers are seeking schools which have the vision and drive to transform their performance and help set new national standards in excellence.
Those which successfully make it on to the programme will receive at least £100,000 a year for a number of years, with further possible support from private philanthropists.
They will join a small number of schools on the programme which are identified by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) as schools receiving intensive support following a poor inspection report.
Each School of Ambition will have to identify at least one area of the curriculum where they will come to be recognized as having particular strength - for example, sport, music, the performing arts, languages or vocational studies.
Minister for Education Peter Peacock said:
"Although Scotland's education system is among the top performers internationally we want to see the nation's schools improve even further and are intent on ensuring schools do more to stretch, challenge and inspire their pupils.
"The Schools of Ambition programme is an unprecedented opportunity for schools to raise their ambitions and expectations for themselves and their pupils and I am sure they will grasp that opportunity. The programme will fast-track changes in those schools most in need of transformation or which want to extend themselves further.
"Schools of Ambition will stand out in their local community, and nationally, as flagships of innovation and opportunity, setting an example of what is possible in a modern Scotland. Strong leadership will be key in and schools which are selected will have to demonstrate they have the leadership to deliver change. We know there are schools with leaders bristling with idea and we want to help them realize their ambitions and make a real difference to their pupils.
"The first tranche of at least 20 Schools of Ambition will be named in the spring and their transformation will begin when they return after the summer holidays. Further nominations will be sought in the autumn and Schools of Ambition will then become a rolling programme with more schools joining on a regular basis. This is a long-term commitment which will transform countless schools across the whole of Scotland."
The Executive has today written to every local authority formally inviting them to nominate schools for the Schools of Ambition programme. Informal discussions have already taken place with local authorities, indicating a high level of enthusiasm in the programme.
Nominated schools will need to clearly spell out what steps will be taken to achieve transformation and exactly what the changes will mean for pupils and the wider community, not only in the short-term but long into the future too.
Schools will also have to demonstrate they have a leader with the vision and drive to bring about change with the extra help on offer.
A panel, which will subject each nomination to detailed scrutiny and approve support to schools to work up their ideas into detailed plans, includes among its members Ewan Hunter, Chief Executive of The Hunter Foundation and Graham Donaldson, Scotland's top schools inspector. CoSLA and the EIS also have representatives on board.
Those on the programme will be required to share their experience of managing the changes and their successes with other schools.
The Schools of Ambition programme builds on the unprecedented investment in education already underway: over £2 billion for new and refurbished school buildings, thousands of extra teachers, a radical overhaul of the curriculum and the development of sport, music and new vocational studies to enrich school life.