To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of extending the London Challenge to other areas of England. (132914)

On 4 April 2007, I announced the extension of the London Challenge in London for at least a further three years. I also announced the expansion of a similarly focused London Challenge- type approach to two other parts of the country that face similar challenges to those which have afflicted the capital.

My decision is based on an assessment of the proven success of the London Challenge programme. Today, more than half of London’s pupils get five good GCSEs. London schools have outperformed the rest of the country for three years running and improvements have been seen in every London borough. Ofsted recently reinforced this assessment in its December report “Improvements in London Schools 2000-06”. The report recommended considering the model

“in other vulnerable areas where performance is a concern”.