They will specialise in music, modern languages, science, art and sport, and aim to hit raised test result targets.
Each cluster will get an initial £10,000, plus £65 per pupil for four years, £25,000 in sponsorship and £50,000 in capital funding.
Some of those closely involved with the project fear that expanding it could result in schools simply paying "lipservice" to it - to get their hands on the extra money.
Unlike the secondary school specialist programme, this is a "top down" initiative.
Instead of putting themselves forward, the schools were identified by their local authorities who in turn were approached by the Department for Education and Skills.
Whereas secondary schools have had to find sponsors, the department has arranged this for the primaries.
There are four local clusters of five or six schools and one "national" one with another six schools: Devon - music and the arts Sheffield - science Tower Hamlets - art Warwickshire - modern foreign languages national - sport
