FAIR DEAL FOR OUR SCHOOLS: A FLAGSHIP Government scheme that has succeeded in raising standards throughout the country is coming to Swindon.

More than £2.5 million will be pumped into five secondary schools and their feeder primary schools over the next three years through the Excellence in Cities initiative.

But some heads have voiced concerns that the scheme singles out some schools over others, and a senior Conservative councillor has said it penalises success.

The secondary schools forming the cluster are Greendown, Headlands, Churchfields, Dorcan and Hreod Parkway.

Starting in September, the schools will share just over £500,000 in the first year and £1 million for the final two years of the scheme.

Keith Defter, who is headteacher of Commonweal School and chair of the Swindon Association of Secondary Heads, said: "As heads we all support any venture that will bring more money into the town, but in an ideal world we should not have to be bidding left right and centre for extra revenue.

"All schools would benefit from extra resources and not just those identified in the cluster of school."

Four of the schools that make up the EiC cluster were chosen because their GCSE results are below the national average.

But lead member for education Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms) said: "Labour wants to bring low achieving schools up which is fine but in the process it is dragging the good schools down.

"It wants a level playing field but by the time that happens the pupils will have drowned because they are six feet under water. We do welcome this funding of course, but it all comes out of the same pot and in three years it will be shifted somewhere else."

David Bell, the Govern-ment's chief inspector of schools, has praised the EiC clusters saying they are proven to raise standards.

The money will be used to run summer schools and extra activities for gifted and talented pupils and to set up learning support units to give help to challenging pupils.

Steve Flavin, Churchfields School headteacher , defended the targeted funding saying: "While I would support the campaign for more funding for all schools in the town this cash targets a particular need.

"This is an attempt to put us on an equal footing with other schools such as The Ridgeway, which in terms of raw exam results does better than us. This money needs to be directed where it is needed."

Greendown School, which has a high percentage of pupils reaching the benchmark figure of five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, is the leader of the cluster although headteacher Steve O'Sullivan was keen to say the scheme is about collaboration. He said: "All five schools are working together, so we will all learn from each other."