Ministers warn poor performing schools: improve GCSE results or we'll shut you down

Local authorities will be told in the coming week that they have until the start of the summer holidays - around 50 days - to produce detailed action plans to turn round the 638 secondary schools which are failing to reach minimum standards for GCSE passes.

Under the National Challenge plan, the schools will have until 2011 the target of 30 per cent or more pupils getting at least five GCSEs at grade C or above or face "formal intervention", said the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Ultimatum: 638 secondary schools must improve results or face closure

Children's Secretary Ed Balls will offer new support and resources for "failing" schools, which will also receive more help from successful school leaders.

Every National Challenge school will get an expert individual adviser, and more "superheads" with past experience of turning schools around will be named as National Leaders of Education to work alongside existing heads.

Ed Balls also wants to look at higher pay for heads who take on extra responsibilities like this.

Ten of the most deprived local authorities, which have 58 of the 638 National Challenge schools between them, will also take part in a £200,000 Extra Mile scheme.

Extra Mile will focus on 20 schools - two in each area - each of will be linked with a partner school which has successfully raised aspirations.

With £10,000 extra funding each, these schools will adopt performance-boosting measures like public school-style "house" systems, trips to cultural events and recruitment of people from local communities to act as mentors.

Mr Balls said that the number of secondaries failing to reach the 30 per cent target has fallen from 1,610 in 1997, and that research showed it was not always the schools serving the most deprived neighbourhoods which are experiencing problems.

Some 134 of England's 150 local authorities have National Challenge schools in their area.

Mr Balls said: "Schools have improved massively since 1997. But there are still too many schools where under a third of pupils get five good GCSEs including English and maths.

"With all the support on offer for parents and schools, no child is on a pre-determined path to low results - whatever their background and wherever they go to school.

"Each of these schools faces different challenges in getting up to and over 30 per cent.

"That is why I am asking local authorities for a specific plan of action for each National Challenge school by the end of July, so that we can be confident that all of them will succeed.

"Every National Challenge school will get its own package of extra support and extra funding to help them improve pupils' results.

"With this extra support we will expect all schools to get over 30% by 2011. But I will not hesitate to challenge local authorities to do more for their local schools where bigger changes or faster improvements are needed."