High school can sport a bright future

A Norfolk high school is set to improve sporting facilities and open them to local residents after it succeeded in its bid for specialist status.

From September, Methwold High School, will become a specialist sports college and receive a funding boost from the government.

Only two of Norfolk's secondary schools - Old Buckenham High and Hamond's High in Swaffham - do not have the status aimed at raising educational standards.

Officials at Methwold High spoke of their delight yesterday after learning that a resubmitted bid for specialist school status in sports and business had been successful.

It came as a report claimed that the success of England's specialist schools was an illusion. The study by the University of Buckingham said the system had led to schools with names that “did not mean very much” and specialist schools appeared to do better because poorer- performing schools were not granted the status.

The report said research conducted in 2007 suggested pupils at schools specialising in music were more likely to get top grades in physics A-level than those at science schools.

About 90pc of secondary schools specialise in a particular area of the curriculum. Jon Winn, assistant headteacher at Methwold High, said the extra investment would provide a “tremendous boost” to the school, which had to raise �50,000 to apply for the initiative.

The school is set to receive �100,000 to help build new sports and enter-prise classrooms and changing rooms and will get �129 per pupil a year over the next four years to help improve grades and teaching quality.

“The school has moved from strength to strength, particularly with regards to the quality of learning, which has been evidenced by some outstanding exam results over the last two years, and the recent acquisition of our new multi- use games area,” said Mr Winn.

It is hoped that the investment will help the new specialist sports college open up more facilities to the local community and partner schools.