Government announces package to transform education for disadvantaged

New reforms aim to improve the standard of education in the worst performing areas, as part of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper.

Areas including County Durham, Cornwall and Hartlepool are set to benefit from improved schools, within a wider package of measures that will also help boost take-up of high-quality training across England and support families to help children to succeed.

The plans being published tomorrow will identify 55 areas in the country where school outcomes are the weakest to target investment, support and action. These include Rochdale, the Isle of Wight, Walsall, parts of Yorkshire and Sunderland.

In these new ‘Education Investment Areas’, the Department for Education will offer retention payments to help schools keep the best teachers in the highest priority subjects.

These areas will also be prioritised as the location for new specialist sixth form free schools where there is limited provision to ensure talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to higher standards of education.

The paper will set a new national mission to ensure that 90% of children leaving primary school in England are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths by 2030. In 2019, just 65% of pupils met all three standards, with the proportion substantially varying across the country.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: ‘The most valuable resource on the planet is the human resource. Investing in people to get on in life and receive the best possible education is core to the mission of this Government, and we are determined to help people gain the knowledge and skills needed to unleash their potential.

‘This White Paper sets out our blueprint for putting skills, schools and families at the heart of levelling up. It focuses on putting great schools in every part of the country, training that sets you up for success in a high-skilled, well-paid career and ensuring no one misses out on opportunities simply because of where they live or their family background.

‘Raising our expectations and aspirations for children, as well as creating a high-skilled workforce, will end the brain drain that sees too many people leaving communities in order to succeed. These plans will help create a level playing field and boost the economy, both locally and nationally.’

In related news, Wolverhampton and Sheffield are expected to be the first of 20 places to be targeted by the government’s levelling up strategy, which is set to be announced this week.

Photo by Taylor Wilcox