Failing schools - who's failing?

Find out more about the failing schools

The government's plan

Last week the government gave local authorities (who are in charge of most schools) 50 days to draw up a plan that will help them improve 'failing' schools. They defined any school in which less than 30% of pupils achieve at least five good GCSEs, including English and maths, as failing.

Some people think that this was unfair because some schools have many more difficulties than others - such as high numbers of people that don't speak English when they join the school, or high levels of poverty or anti-social behaviour.

The National Union of Teachers also pointed out that this plan - know as the National Challenge - might make people avoid going to failing schools, and teachers might not want to take jobs there. This, they argued, would make the schools even worse.

Your thoughts

Here's what some message board users had to say about the issue:

• The plan might make students try harder, they might think "We should try harder so our school doesn't get a bad reputation and so we have some chance of success in life?
• "I love the fact that these so called 'failing schools' are all public, with little resources or funding, with poor teachers and poor policys. Better yet they have 50 days to create an 'action plan' to change all of this."

City Academies

Some people think that the best way to solve the problem of failing schools it to replace them with new academy schools. These schools are run mostly by private companies, individuals or organisations, but are funded mostly by the government.

Both the Labour party and the Conservative party support these schools, but lots of people are also opposed to them because they are worried that allowing private control over aspects of education such as the curriculum might be damaging.

• The government plan to have 200 academies open or in the pipeline by 2010. They aim ultimately to open 400 in England.
• Some evidence suggests that academies are improving faster than comparable schools, but some say it is impossible to make this comparisson as there are so many factors.
• Protesters camped out in Wembley to prevent an academy from being built there
• Schools have to raise about £2m to become an academy, and the government puts in about £25m