According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the vast majority of young people rate secondary schools as good. But they know, like we do, that not every school is as good as it could be.
The National Challenge may sound a bit like a new Saturday night game show. But there's a lot more at stake here than wining a small family car or a fortnight in the sun. And you definitely won't find Ant and Dec involved in this one.
It's a new government initiative that aims to tackle persistent educational underachievement. The aim is that in every school in England no less than 30 per cent of young people will get five good GCSE passes, including English and maths. Official figures show that the number of schools not reaching this minimum standard has declined sharply over the past few years. But there are still too many that have yet to turn the corner. Right now there are 638 schools that are failing to get 30 per cent of learners up to this level. Most areas in England have at least one of these schools. Many have a lot more.
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