NORTH East communities will benefit from a Government plan to pump millions of pounds into education “cold spots” as part of its levelling up agenda.

Areas in the region where education outcomes are weakest, including Darlington, County Durham and Middlesbrough, will be targeted for support, with teachers offered a “levelling-up premium” to improve retention.

Schools in the Education Investment Areas which are judged less than “good” by Ofsted in successive inspections could be moved into multi-academy trusts under the plans.

The seven "cold spots" in the North East and North Yorkshire are: Darlington, County Durham, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, North Yorkshire, Sunderland and South Tyneside. 

However, plans for “elite” sixth form-free schools under the Government’s levelling up agenda in disadvantaged areas could “serve children who already do very well”, a headteachers’ union has warned.

Read more: Success of levelling up for the North questioned

New “Education Investment Areas” will be prioritised as the location for specialist sixth form-free schools, the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper will say on Wednesday.

Headteachers have argued that the sixth forms could help pupils who are already high-achieving.

The paper will say that schools in the 55 areas that have been judged less than “good” in successive Ofsted inspections “could be moved into strong multi-academy trusts, to attract more support and the best teachers”.

This will be subject to a consultation in the spring, the DfE said.

It will also set a target of 90 per cent of pupils leaving primary school in England to reach the expected standard of reading, writing and maths in 2030.

“In 2019, just 65 percent of pupils met all three standards, with the proportion substantially varying across the country,” the DfE said.

Schools in the areas will be supported to address other issues such as attendance and will be “encouraged” to join a new pilot programme to monitor this.

Read more: £1bn cut to Government funding raises levelling up concerns

Mr Barton said the children did need more support but that he was unsure the White Paper achieved this, as the most disadvantaged pupils needed help that went “beyond the school gates” to address poverty, while there was a “crying need” for better funding for pupils with special educational needs.

“There’s much food for thought in the outline of the Government’s white paper, but the devil will, as ever, be in the detail. Identifying 55 communities for intensive additional support sounds promising and we look forward to seeing exactly how this will work,” he added.

Jim Murray, Durham's head of education and skills, said: “Investing in schools is crucial to levelling up, as it is vital all children have access to the highest standard of education.

"County Durham is home to talented and passionate teachers and support staff who are working incredibly hard to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people. This has contributed to many of our schools being ranked as good or higher by Ofsted.

"However, as one of the largest local authorities in country, we also face challenges, including areas of high deprivation and many rural communities, which can cause issues with retaining and recruiting staff.

"We welcome the prospect of targeted support and investment in County Durham and look forward to receiving more details from the Government.”

Councillor Jon Clarke, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “This is undoubtably fantastic and very welcome news. We look forward to receiving more guidance as to the details in due course.”

However, Haertlepool Council said they haven't received any information on it at all.

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