Nearly 200 struggling secondary schools could be put under new management unless their GCSE results today are much better than last year’s.

Teenagers across the country are expected to be celebrating another record year, with one in five securing five A or A* passes. But five Cs will be enough to cheer 638 heads whose schools are on the Government’s National Challenge list.

These failed last year to reach the Government’s minimum target of 30 per cent of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs - including English and maths - at grade C or above. They were told in June that if they did not show significant improvement, they could be taken out of local authority control, closed and reopened as semi-independent academies or trusts.

Academies are run with the help of outside sponsors, such as businesses, colleges or universities. Such schools are allowed more flexibility in their curriculum and staffing in an attempt to raise standards, but teachers fear that their salaries may be cut as academies and trusts do not have to apply national pay scales.

It is estimated that up to 70 National Challenge schools could be converted into academies and a similar number could become trusts, which are also taken from council control. These secondaries are linked to high-performing neighbouring schools and an external partner, such as a business or university. Fifty further underperforming secondaries that are not on the National Challenge list may also be turned into trusts.

The Government wants to create 400 academies; 83 have been set up already and another 47 are likely to open next month.

About 200 schools on the list of 638 underperformers are expected to exceed the 30 per cent target when the results are published today, but they will still have to stay in the National Challenge programme, which will provide £400 million of extra support and resources, at least until January.

The Department for Children Schools and Families also confirmed yesterday that schools that were on or just above the 30 per cent line last year may be added to the National Challenge list next term if they appear to be on a downward spiral.

For many National Challenge schools, however, today’s results will bring a welcome reprieve. At Perry Beeches Secondary School in Birming-ham, for example, the proportion of students achieving five good GCSEs has risen from 21 to 51 per cent. Liam Nolan, the head teacher appointed just over a year ago, said: “We’ve done it through good old-fashioned class-room teaching and discipline. School uniform has to be perfect, students and staff have to respect each other and there is no shouting.”

Heather Roberts, head teacher of Aston Manor School, also in Birming-ham, has seen her pupils’ results rise from 28 to 40 per cent this year. This has been achieved through holding Saturday morning classes for GCSE students as well as extra revision classes for during holidays.

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