The network of specialist schools in England is just about complete - which means that anyone wishing to market to schools can do so according to the specialism they are interested in.  Obviously if you are mailing all secondary schools and getting a decent response rate you might not want to break it down further, but if your response rate from secondary schools is not good enough, focussing on the relevant specialist schools can resolve the matter.

Schools Minister Andrew Adonis has announced 89 more schools in England that have been given specialist status, including 24 Special Schools.

This means that 88% of all maintained secondary schools are now specialist and 26 local authorities are 100% specialist.

Of the 89 schools awarded specialist status today, 10 in Sport, 2 in languages, 17 in Arts. 6 in Business and Enterprise, 7 Combined, 2 Engineering, 8 Humanities, 11 Mathematics and Computing, 2 Music, 17 Special Educational Needs, 2 Technology and 5 Science.

These schools will begin operating as specialist schools from September 2008.

Specialist schools have a focus on their chosen subject area but must meet National Curriculum requirements to deliver a broad and balanced education to all pupils. There are ten categories of specialist school: Technology; Languages; Arts; Sports; Business and Enterprise; Engineering; Mathematics & Computing; Science; Humanities and Music. Schools can also combine any two specialisms. Special schools may alternatively apply for the special educational needs specialism.

In 2005 the Specialist Schools Programme was piloted to extend the choice available for maintained and non-maintained special schools, by allowing them to specialist in one of the areas of the SEN Code of Practice:
- communication and interaction;
- cognition and learning;
- behavioural, emotional and social development;
- sensory and /or physical needs

Maintained and non-maintained special schools are eligible to apply for specialist status in one of ten curricular specialisms. There are 68 special schools with specialist status for a curriculum specialism and 87 with the SEN specialism.

To apply for specialist status, schools must raise £50,000 in private sector sponsorship (less in the case of small schools with under 500 pupils on roll) and draw up a school and community plan to raise standards, increase provision and encourage take-up in their specialist subjects. Their community development plan will show how they will share the benefits of good practice, expertise and resources with other schools named in the plan and with identified groups within their wider community. The Government believes that widening schools’ options in this way means they are able to develop their individual strengths, promote innovation and spread good practice throughout the whole school system.

In order to help them develop their specialism, specialist schools receive the following additional funding from the Government: £100,000 for a capital project to enhance the facilities in the subjects related to the school’s specialism; and recurrent funding of around £129 per pupil per year (£645 per pupil for curriculum special schools), to implement their specialist school development plans. SEN specialist schools receive £60,000 per annum to implement their plans. In addition to the £100,000 capital grant the school itself must raise £50,000 in unconditional sponsorship (less for small schools with under 500 pupils on roll) towards the capital project. Specialist schools are expected to target around one third (one half for SEN schools) of their specialist school recurrent funding on sharing resources and expertise in their specialist area with partner schools and the wider community.

In 2003 the Government introduced a ‘Partnership Fund’ to provide support to specialist school applicants hat can demonstrate their sustained efforts to find sponsorship have been unsuccessful. The fund is administered by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in accordance with DCSF criteria. 394 schools have benefited so far.

A total of 26 Local Authorities are now 100% specialist: Bath and NE Somerset, Blackpool, Brent, Bromley, Cornwall, Devon, Durham, Ealing, Gateshead, Harrow, Hartlepool, Herefordshire, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Middlesbrough, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Rutland, Thurrock, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, West Berkshire, Wigan and York.

You can read more about marketing to schools on [1] www.educationmarketing.org.uk and by subscribing to the Education Marketing news group by emailing [2] education-marketing-subscribe@yahoogroups.com