£150,000 on external help for city schools

The council is investing in not-for-profit organisation Success for All, which is based in Cathedral Square, to help out at five underperforming schools.

It is the latest move by council leader and education portfolio holder Councillor John Holdich to push Peterborough up the school rankings after it came second last in the recent SATS results.

Cllr Holdich, who has already commissioned a review into the city’s education, wrote in his Peterborough Telegraph column: “Success for All works with more than 60,000 children in more than 130 schools across the UK which face similar challenges to schools in Peterborough.

“They do this by transforming the way children learn, encouraging pupils to work more collaboratively and changing the way teachers interact with pupils in the classroom.

“The results they report are encouraging with attainment levels for disadvantaged pupils 10 per cent above the national average.”

Success for All chief executive Matt Ditchfield said: “I’m very excited to be working with the city council on improving outcomes for young people and I look forward to working particularly with the first pilot group of schools to support their leaders, staff and children.”

The first schools to be used in the project will be chosen shortly and will begin receiving help after the February half-term.

The council leader added: “We have a hypothesis that in Peterborough we face a unique set of challenges, a perfect storm you might say, which sets us apart from anywhere else in the country.”

Cllr Holdich has also announced that the council and Vivacity - which runs major leisure and culture facilities in the city - are jointly bidding for external funding to launch a book bus which would visit Peterborough schools and support children and families with reading.

The council leader added: “It’s a firm belief of mine that actions speak louder than words and I hope you can see that we are taking action to raise attainment levels.”