Schools hit on winning formula

They are schools at opposite ends of today's league tables, but with much more in common than meets the eye.

Harris City Technology College in Croydon is celebrating official recognition as the most improved school in England, an accolade it has earned once before. Barely half its pupils achieved five good GCSE grades four years ago; this year it is almost nine out of 10. Results have improved every year, as they did in the four years to 1997, when Harris CTC became the first school to earn "most improved" status.

Across London in Haringey, at Park View Academy - re-opened two years ago after the closure of the failing Langham School - head teacher Peter Walker knows next year is critical. Last year, 12 per cent of its pupils achieved the GCSE benchmark; this year that was up to 15 per cent.

If results fail to improve again next year, Government targets mean that the school's future could - theoretically - come under renewed threat. But look beneath the headline figures and both schools share the same passionate dedication to improving their pupils' achievement and prospects.

Mr Walker is nothing if not ambitious. "Harris CTC is the kind of school we are aimingto become," he said. "We have every intention of succeeding."

At Harris CTC, head Carol Bates insists that raising achievement is "not rocket science. We are doing all the things you would expect a good school to do." As a City Technology College - the Tory forerunner of the present specialist school initiative - Harris CTC gets an extra £120 per pupil.

The money has bought impressive resources, particularly in science, technology and IT. But Mrs Bates played down the importance of the extra cash. "Our most important resource is our staff," she said, adding that the secret of continuing improvement was close attention to each pupil's progress.

The same philosophy is being applied at Park View Academy, with clear signs of success. The outward indications of change include new school uniforms, the beginnings of a £10million building programme and virtually all-new staff. What matters more is a revolution in teachers' expectations, both of children's behaviour and their achievement.

This year's exam results fell slightly short of the school's target. Undeterred, Mr Walker has set an even more ambitious goal for next year - that 25 per cent of pupils get at least five good GCSEs. Achieving that will be difficult, he acknowledges, because a high proportion of pupils come from disadvantaged homes and do not have English as a first language-But the determination to ensure all children meet their potential is reflected by encouraging results among younger pupils. There are also clear signs that the change in the school in the past two years is being recognised.

In January 1999, only 75 parents applied to Langham School - the forerunner to Park View Academy. This September, 212 put it down as their first choice. Mr Walker is confident that next year's results will show his school meets the Government's minimum targets for all secondary schools. But his ambitions go well beyond that. "In five years, I want this school to be one of the most improved in the country," he said.