- guardian.co.uk, Thursday July 13 2000 17.54 BST
At Tony Blair's Downing Street press conference where the prime minister urged schools to keep pushing standards higher Mr Blair admitted that such activity "is possible if you want to go to some of the most difficult schools in the most difficult areas."
But he brushed side this week's Guardian reports suggesting it was widespread. "If you look at the schools' results overall and what it happening in the schools, there is a real sense that we are, at long last, moving forward again," he said. At his side, David Blunkett, the education and employment secretary, was tougher. He accused the Guardian's series, written by reporter of the year Nick Davies, of not producing documented evidence.
"There was innuendo, there was a slur on the teaching profession and head teachers across the country," he said. "I challenge you to produce me one piece of evidence and I will - as I did last year when this was again innuendo - initiate an independent inquiry into that.
"The idea that teachers, because they are struggling to raise the expectations and the standards of children in the most deprived areas, have because of poverty, to cheat to get those children decent results is a slur on the education service in this country."
In an article in the Guardian today, Mr Blunkett widens his attack on Davies's articles, arguing that they "took us no further towards solving the problems which many of our children face".
"This corrosive proposition that nothing can be done until poverty has been completely eliminated undermines the drive to raise standards and the excellent results which teachers are achieving," Mr Blunkett says.
"It suggests that those of us who found education to be the ladder out of poverty should have accepted our lot in life rather than seizing the opportunity which lifelong learning gave us."
The government was doing more to tackle indiscipline, exclusion and truancy than ever before.
Far from cutting spending for disaffected pupils, the government was spending £140m this year compared to £17m four years ago.
The Excellence in Cities programme, which started in 450 secondary schools and is being extended this year, was based on a model of proven success, he said.
"Expectation is what matters most. If you assume that a child from a disadvantaged background will fail, they will do so.
"If you believe they can and should fulfil their potential, there is a much greater chance that they will. I know because I was there myself. I know also because I've seen how good schools in poorer areas can and do make a difference," Mr Blunkett said.
