A SCHEME similar to one that saw an improvement in education standards in London should be introduced in North Cornwall, according to MP Scott Mann.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Conservative Mr Mann asked Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan whether similar schemes such as the ‘London Challenge’ could be introduced in areas such as North Cornwall under the revised name of a ‘Rural Challenge’.

The London Challenge, a secondary school improvement programme, ran in the capital from 2003 to 2011, and was expanded in 2008 to include primary schools and two new areas – Greater Manchester and the Black Country where it was known as the City Challenge.

Mr Mann also wrote to the Minister to reiterate the need for fairer funding in schools and whether funding initiatives could be introduced to help rural school employ more staff and resources.

Nicky Morgan will unveil plans to support schools in coastal towns, which will see a pool of 1,500 ‘elite teachers’ sent out to under-achieving schools between now and 2020, with pilots rolling out in Eastern and North Western counties.

Mr Mann said: “The London Challenge asked a number of schools to undertake initiatives to drive up grades. After speaking with head teachers in the constituency, I thought that would be an excellent idea to pursue for rural areas like North Cornwall.

“A lot of places like Bude and Boscastle feel a bit disenfranchised being out on the coast. It could be a way of getting into those schools which have been on the periphery for a number of years.

“There’s a huge disparity in terms of fairer funding for schools and it has gone on for too long. Devon and Cornwall pupils are currently short-changed by up to £270 a year compared to other local authorities.”

Nicky Morgan responded that she was ‘conscious of the challenges facing rural schools’ and aspires for all children to ‘have an excellent education regardless of where they live’.