Four secondary secondary schools in Haringey are failing national targets and could face closure.

The schools feature on a Government hit-list of the country's worst 638 performing establishments.

Greig City Academy in Hornsey, The John Loughborough School in Tottenham, St Thomas More Catholic School and Woodside High School, both in Wood Green, are all underachieving.

Last year less than 30 per cent of pupils at these schools achieved at least five A to C grades at GCSE, including maths and English.

The Government is now warning them that they must improve or face closure within three years.

A £400 million National Challenge, to be unveiled by Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls today, will offer the schools extra funding, expert advice, mentoring from experienced headteachers and assistance from more successful schools.

Haringey has 50 days to produce a rescue plan to improve the schools. If it fails to make adequate progress there is the threat of intervention and possible closure.

However MP for Hornsey and Wood Green Lynne Featherstone says this is too tough an ultimatum for Haringey schools.

She said: "We must challenge underperformance in our schools but threat of closure and job losses is hardly going to motivate the teachers whose help we need to drive up standards.

"I have long fought for fair funding for our local schools, so the extra money is welcome. However, this announcement seems far too much stick and not enough carrot."

Specialist school Woodside High, in White Hart Lane, Wood Green, is the worst of performer, with only 17 per cent of its 192 pupils making the grade and only 11 per cent getting at least two good GCSEs in sciences.

The John Loughborough School, in in Holcombe Road, Tottenham, had only 19 per cent of its pupils achieving the national benchmark out of a total of 57, however this is up from just 13 per cent in 2006.

Greig City Academy, in High Street, Hornsey, had 87 pupils at GCSE level in 2007. Only 21 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSEs at a grade C or over, including in maths and English. However for the Academy this is an improvement on 10 per cent in 2004 and 15 per cent two years ago.

St Thomas More Catholic School in Glendale Avenue, Wood Green, is a sports school with 185 pupils at GCSE level last year. The school's 21 per cent pass rate has dropped from 25 per cent in 2006.

As a borough, Haringey has an average percentile rating of 37.4 per cent against a 46.7 per cent national average.

Cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Liz Santry, said: "The vast majority of our schools have been judged as either outstanding or good by Ofsted inspectors.

"Substantial improvements in exam results have been achieved in recent years.

"We have worked with schools which have been identified as under performing, and have taken action where necessary, but change and improvements don't happen overnight.

"We shall not be satisfied until all our schools are regarded as good or better."

Liberal Democrat education spokesman, Councillor Gail Engert said: "I wait to see how exactly much extra money this will mean for our schools.

"But £400m over 638 schools nationally only works out at about £600,000 per school. This will hardly scratch the surface of the historic chronic underinvestment in Haringey's schools."