SCOTTISH secondaries that underperform in national examinations are to be twinned with successful schools in similar catchment areas in a radical shake-up to drive up standards.

Schools in deprived areas will be involved in the Scottish Government programme to break the link between poverty and underachievement. But secondaries in middle-class areas seen as coasting will also be targeted in the initiative.

Education Secretary Michael Russell said the Improvement Partnership Programme would be a national initiative across council boundaries and would be for the long term rather than a quick fix.

Mr Russell also opened the door for a shift on the universal class-size policy adopted by the SNP in recent years, saying he wanted further progress, but would listen to arguments that extra teachers were best targeted at schools in deprived areas in the early years, rather than across the board.

The announcements came in a keynote speech on school attainment at Glasgow University last night.

Mr Russell said the partnership model – already successfully adopted in the Canadian province of Ontario – had the potential to make a significant difference.

He said: "I believe we must offer not just a good, but a great, education to all. But, for some children, where you live still determines your prospects more than your abilities. Clearly, that is a problem. It has existed for decades and others have tried to tackle it, but we can, and must, do more to ensure that all of our children get the skills and knowledge to succeed in life.

"That is why we will introduce a National Improvement Partnership to partner similar schools that achieve different results – this will help them learn from each other and break the link between poverty and attainment."

Precise details of how the scheme will work have not been announced, but it is anticipated teachers and headteachers in partnership schools will shadow each other and share information on exam performance, teaching methods and pupil tracking. Staff could also be expected to spend time teaching in partner schools.

The move comes after a report last year by national quango Education Scotland found nearly one-third of secondaries serving the most deprived areas were failing inspections compared with a figure of 10% for all schools.

Education Scotland also said that, while there were few critically under-performing schools, substantial numbers were coasting.

Mr Russell also announced a new internet resource for schools that will allow them to compare how they are doing with a "virtual school" serving the same type of area.

He said: "This means secondary schools will be able to benchmark themselves against virtual equivalents with a similar mix of pupils and issues that can influence attainment."

Mr Russell said the initiatives would not be imposed on schools, but would involve collaboration involving council body Cosla, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (Ades), teaching unions and Education Scotland.

On the issue of class sizes, he said: "I am clear there is evidence that in the early years, particularly in areas of deprivation, smaller class sizes do make a difference.

"I am keen to explore the extent to which our policies on class sizes can play a role in delivering improved outcomes and closing the attainment gap."

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union, welcomed the partnership proposals, but said resources and time would be crucial in making them work.

He said: "Partnerships may prove to be helpful, but not if schools are coerced into participation – working together is the only mechanism for operating such an approach successfully."

"The other key issue is that these initiatives need to be resourced. Finding time for the partnerships to work means providing the additional resources required."

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, added: "The proposals put forward are based on experience from other countries where partnering arrangements work well. On that basis, we support this initiative and we hope and anticipate parents will be engaged in the process and given the opportunity to be part of the learning that goes on."

Other announcements made by Mr Russell include working with the voluntary sector to increase parental involvement in local schools.

And he said all the information available to parents on the performance of schools would be brought together on one simplified website. The Scottish Government will also publish an explanation of the benefits of the new Curriculum for Excellence for all parents.