MORE than 30 schools in the five Gwent council areas have been given intervention plans by a leading schools body in charge of improving education, the Argus can reveal.

The South East Wales Education Achievement Service (EAS), tasked with dragging up standards in Gwent, categorises schools from one, best, to five, worst and assigns them colours.

A spokeswoman for the EAS said the number of primary and secondary schools in category four (red) and five (purple) in South East Wales is 35.

This is compared to just one primary school, Hendre Infants in Caerphilly, and two secondary schools, Llantarnam High, Cwmbran, and Heolddu Comprehensive, Bargoed, in Estyn's "special measures" category.

The EAS categories - known only to the head teachers, governing bodies and the EAS itself - are based on performance, similar to the Welsh Government's banding programme, and are designed to target help where needed.

Category four and five schools are given an intervention plan, much like the action plan that councils draw up when deemed by Estyn to be failing.

Earlier this month Steve Davies, who heads up the 120-employee company, told the Argus that good schools helping others will be the future for education in the area.

In September all Gwent schools will receive a set of guidelines spelling out what makes an 'excellent', 'good', 'adequate' or 'unsatisfactory' school according to the EAS.

This goes beyond what Estyn currently sets out, which are examples of 'good' and 'unsatisfactory' schools, said Mr Davies.

Currently 10 primary and two secondary school teachers from across the Gwent council areas, whose schools are in category one and two, have been identified as good teachers who can help poor performing schools.

Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen's education departments are in special measures and control over improvement has either been handed to the EAS or appointed commissioners.

The EAS, which is answerable to all five Gwent councils and is one of four regional 'consortia' across Wales, is developing a programme with five primary schools across South East Wales, where other schools can send their staff to that school to learn how to improve teaching.

A similar model for secondary schools is in development for January 2014, and category one and two schools are being encouraged to put forward the names of outstanding staff who could share best practice.

"Where there are teachers who are seriously underperforming, the schools take that up," said Mr Davies.