Schools Warned: Improve or Close

As many as one in five secondary schools in England face closure unless they can improve their exam results.

The Government is targeting 638 schools, where less than 30% of the pupils gain at least five good GCSEs including English and Maths.

The new standards drive, known as the National Challenge, will give the worst performing schools only three years to pull their GCSEs grades above the 30% benchmark. The scheme will also see the number of academies increase by 70.

Launching the scheme Schools Secretary Ed Balls told Radio 4: "Academies in the last few years have been taking intakes from more deprived areas, a move deprived intake than their area would suggest, and have faster rises in results than the average."

Struggling schools will receive additional funding, expert advice and support from neighbouring successful schools and external partnerships.

There will also be a new type of school structure for those "completely unable to raise their exam results".

These National Challenge Trusts will see the shutting down of the failing school and a reopening of a new school, to be run as a joint project with a high-performing local school and a partner such as a local business or university, with up to £750,000 funding.

Teachers' unions have criticised the plan and suggested it risks stigmatising schools in poor areas.

School Bans Red Bull

A school has decided to ban its pupils from drinking the energy drink Red Bull, following complaints that it increased the level of bad behaviour.

Chatsmore Catholic High School in Worthing, West Sussex, said some children's conduct changed after consuming the drink.

The acting head, Anne Ward, said that pupils were now banned from bringing Red Bull on to the school grounds. The Tesco branded Kick high energy drink has also been banned from the 630-pupil school, in a bid to stop the escalation of bad behaviour.

Ms Ward said: "We found that a small number of children's behaviour was less appropriate after they had been drinking these drinks.

"We were becoming increasingly concerned about the level of inappropriate behaviour so decided to take action before it becomes a bigger issue.

"If they want to drink these drinks outside school then that is an issue for their parents.

"We advocate drinking water and indeed we allow pupils to drink water during lessons."

Each can of Red Bull, advertised by the manufacturers as a product that "gives you wings", contains 80 mg of caffeine. It is not recommended for individual sensitive to caffeine, including children.

New Child Protection Vetting List

Millions of adults who work with children will have to register with child protection authorities, under an expanded safeguarding scheme due next year.

The Government estimates that 11.3 million people - one in four of all English adults - will be included on the new database, with registration costing £64 per person. The fee will be waived in the case of voluntary workers.

Inclusion on the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) database will be mandatory for anyone who works with children, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity.

Organisations providing work experience placements for students will not be compelled to register their workers.

From October 2009 employers, voluntary organisations and charities will be forbidden from recruiting anyone who is not ISA registered. People currently working with children will have until 2010 to complete the registration process, irrespective of whether they have been previously vetted.

It will become an offence for anyone barred from working with children to apply for such a job - and there will be penalties for employers who fail to check on the registration of applicants.

Initially the scheme will apply to workers based in England, but it is expected that it will be extended to Scotland and Wales.

Most Maths Teachers Not Specialists

Less than half of maths teachers in England's secondary schools have a degree in the subject, despite a national recruiting campaign to boost numbers.

A government-commissioned study of 327 secondary schools found that most teachers had a degree in the subjects they taught.

This tended to be more likely in the sciences, with 90% of these teachers having what was categorised as a relevant post A-level qualification.

In biology, for example, 85% of those teaching the subject had a relevant degree, as did 83% of those teaching chemistry and 72% of those teaching physics.

But the figures showed that only 47% of those teaching maths had a relevant degree, although 75% had a post A-level qualification of some sort.

One in four maths teachers did not hold any relevant post A-level qualifications, which include BEds, PGCEs and Certificates of Education.

And the percentage of lessons taught by maths specialists dropped from 88% in 2002 to 84% in 2007, according to the report, the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2007.

A spokeswoman for the Training and Development Agency (TDA) for Schools told the BBC News: "Fewer students are studying science, technology, engineering and maths subjects at A-level and degree level, meaning a smaller pool from which to draw in an increasingly competitive graduate labour market."