STRUGGLING Risedale Sports and Community College, in Hipswell, near Catterick Garrison, will receive up to £1m to raise standards after being selected for a ground-breaking scheme.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has given the go-ahead for Risedale to become a National Challenge Trust school, eligible for cash to make improvements.

Risedale, which last year recorded the worst GCSE results in North Yorkshire, is one of only three schools in the country to be given trust status.

In July, education bosses announced a partnership with Northallerton College to improve standards at Risedale.

Cynthia Welbourne, director of children's services for North Yorkshire County Council, said that following talks with council officers, the Government accepted that this partnership qualified the school for the new scheme.

"This is good news for Risedale and it's good news for Northallerton College, which had the courage and generosity to be prepared to come and join in the quest to improve Risedale," she said.

"Over the last few months, we've had quite a lot of discussions with the Government in London.

"From the outset they had just one view on how the trust scheme could work - but they have become much more flexible.

"They have recognised that the partnership we put together could be a very good way forward."

She added: "At the moment we've had no indication it would be as much as £1m, although I would expect it to be a really useful amount of money."

It is not yet clear what the money will be spent on, although examples given by the Department for Children, Schools and Families include additional staff costs in partnering schools, and the recruitment of more specialist teachers and senior staff.

The National Challenge targets schools where fewer than 30 per cent of pupils get five good GCSEs, including English and maths.

In 2007, 24.6 per cent of GCSE pupils at Risedale achieved the target, but this year the percentage fell to 19.3 per cent.

Announcing the first three trust schemes, Schools Secretary Ed Balls said: "Our National Challenge Trust money will be used to support ambitious and innovative plans for improvement."