A Performance Threshold was introduced in 2000 to allow experienced teachers access to higher rates of pay on meeting a set of performance standards, including a standard of pupil attainment.

Reasons for a possible closure include low pupil attainment and a decline in pupil numbers at the school.

Currently at the end of Year 9 Teacher Assessment and National Curriculum Tests are used to assess pupil attainment for all relevant subjects studied.

Responding to the announcement, Christine Blower, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "All teachers and school leaders want nothing but the best for their pupils and no school willingly sits on its laurels as far as pupil attainment is concerned.

It concluded that "class size reduction policies are not the best option in terms of value for money to raising pupil attainment, compared to others such as increasing teacher effectiveness".

All state schools have a statutory requirement to teach the subject, assess pupil attainment and report student's progress in citizenship to parents.

Alternatively, it may be the strategy with which teachers feel most able to cope with the wide range of pupil attainment.

I believe, however, that over the past 20 years an important body of evidence has emerged which strongly suggests that schools do make a significant difference both to pupil attainment and pupil behaviour.

Rutter et al, in a detailed analysis of 12 schools in an inner London borough, make bold statements about the influence that schools have upon pupil attainment and behaviour.