My school has low/declining exam results – can it apply for specialist status?
Successful applicants will need to demonstrate that they have the capacity to take on the challenge of specialist status. Schools with low and/or declining GCSE 5+ A*-C results should consider the following questions: are the standards of attainment in my school stable or rising – based on absolute performance data for the last three years as well as available ‘value added’ data and recent Ofsted reports?; are the specialist subjects proposed areas of clear strength and on stable or rising attainment trends?; do they have clear potential to feed whole school improvement? Schools in this position should contact the Specialist Schools Trust or Youth Sport Trust for further guidance.
