TWO Blackburn secondary schools have been rewarded for their success in boosting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

St Bede’s RC High and Tauheedul Islam Girls High are among 500 nationwide and nine in the North-West to get an initial £5,000 to extend this work.

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They have been entered into a competition to win a £250,000 share of £4 million next month..

Schools Minister David Laws congratulated the two schools which have qualified in the 2015 Pupil Premium Awards following key stage 4 results published last week.

St Bede’s head Des Callaghan: “We are very pleased to have been given this award which is a recognition of the hard work of pupils, staff and parents.

“All schools are working hard to close the gap in achievement between those who are seen as disadvantaged and other pupils.

“In Catholic schools it has always been our mission to give each person what they need to succeed.

“The award of £5,000 will therefore be used to further enhance the educational achievements, experiences and opportunities particularly for disadvantaged pupils.”

Tauheedul Education Trust chief executive Hamid Patel said: “We have the highest aspirations for every child – and we know that whatever their background, they can achieve brilliant results.

“Our pupils achieve some of the best grades in the country, with 96 per cent of those from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving the key Government benchmark of five or more GCSEs at C or better including English and Maths.

“This is almost three times higher than the national average. “We are incredibly proud of all our pupils for their GCSE results – and incredibly proud to serve the young people of Blackburn.

“The prize money will be invested in the intervention programme, meaning we can further enhance this high-quality service and help our disadvantaged pupils achieve even better results.”

Tauheedul’s strategy involves a highly personalised approach to ensure no child ‘slips through the net’; a comprehensive intervention programme which identifies pupils who need extra support and the highest expectations.

Mr Laws said: “I would encourage all schools which have received a prize to share their successful approach.

“I hope all schools will continue to learn from this excellent practice.”

Final prizes will be awarded at a ceremony hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in March.