Five schools given specialist status

The schools had to prepare a detailed bid document

Five South Yorkshire schools have been granted specialist school status by the government.

Two of them, Penistone Grammar School and Wales High School, will concentrate on business and enterprise.

Sports will be the speciality at Balby Carr School in Doncaster.

In Sheffield, Stocksbridge High School will specialise in mathematics and computing while Tapton School will concentrate on science.

In order to gain specialist status, the schools had to prepare a detailed bid and raise pledges of support worth £50,000 from the local community.

In return, they will receive a capital grant from the Department for Education of £100,000 and £123 for each pupil for the next four years.

Schools Standards Minster David Miliband said there had been a record number of applications for specialist status.

"Specialist schools are part of a mass movement to raise standards," he added.