AN innovative education board is to be set up in Tendring to help schools improve their performance.

Tendring District Council plans to establish an Education Improvement Board after it was revealed a majority of schools in the district are failing to meet national attainment targets.

Figures show a total of 24 primary schools have achieved below the national average for Key Stage 2 results, while four of the district’s secondary schools are not meeting national GCSE targets.

According to the council’s cabinet member for education and skills, Stephen Mayzes, the aim of the board is to “support the delivery of improved educational attainment and address unemployment”.

He said: “This is an innovative approach and I believe that it is the first time that a local authority, which does not have the responsibility for education, has gone down the path of setting up a board.”

“We have a situation where around 50% of our young people are achieving below the national threshold and we need to have a frank and open discussion about this.

“We want to work alongside partners to create the schools that our young people deserve.”

Mr Mayzes, who has been appointed chairman of the new board, said that one in five primary schools in Tendring is in special measures.

He added: “We are currently in a vulnerable situation in Tendring and we need to challenge and support all those who are responsible for providing education. It will mean working in very close partnership with Essex County Council, academies, schools and governors to turn these statistics around together and achieve our collective goals.”

A working party, with a remit of finding a way for these various parties to work together, has also been established. It will be chaired by Sarah Candy, Tendring’s cabinet member for inward investment and growth.

Ms Candy said: “We want to bring people into Tendring who have had big success and turned schools around and find out how they did it.

“We need to know why some schools are not achieving all that they might be. We need to pick away at these statistics and work out what the problems and solutions are.”