Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson says Rise scheme will use techniques from Blair government’s London Challenge
Why are London schools outperforming the rest of England?
Ministers plan to turbocharge their school improvement programme to tackle regional inequalities, aiming to export the success of London’s high-achieving pupils to England’s most struggling schools.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said her school improvement plan was “taking the best” of the previous Labour government’s successful London Challenge, which revolutionised the city’s school system, and applying the techniques to flagging schools throughout England.
This week’s A-level results raised alarm at the widening gap between results in London and regions outside the south-east of England, particularly in the Midlands and the north-east, where improvements in top grades have been stagnant.
