Extra £18 million to extend the Opportunity Area programme

 Today, Friday 20 December, the Telegraph published an article saying that one in 10 local authority areas does not have a school rated Outstanding.

We have recently announced an extra £18 million to extend the Opportunity Area programme, which is supporting five areas in the Yorkshire and Humber and North West, while Opportunity North East (ONE) is addressing the reasons why too few young people in the North East are reaching their potential through secondary education and beyond.

In ONE, the department will invest up to £24m to deliver a focussed programme to address the specific challenges in the North East.

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

“This government is determined that every child can benefit from a high-quality education, and teachers and school leaders are helping to drive up standards right across the country. Since 2011, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed in both primary and secondary schools.

“85% of children now in good or outstanding schools compared to just 66% in 2010, but there is more to do to continue to attract and retain talented teachers – and we are investing £14bn more in schools over the next three years to help the schools that need the most support.”