The 55 education ‘cold spots’ earmarked for levelling up

The announcement comes as part of the government’s levelling up plans

Schools in these areas will be targeted for the next decade (PA Wire)

The government has announced 55 education “cold spots” in England that have been identified as part of the levelling up agenda.

Ministers are set to unveil measures to improve standards of education in these areas, with the suggestion of elite sixth form colleges for high performing children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

These new “education investment areas” in England will be targeted for the next ten years.

Currently, areas where education outcomes are weakest will be targeted for support, with teachers offered a “levelling-up premium” to improve retention. These include Rochdale the Isle of Wight and Walsall

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

The 55 ‘cold spots’

• Bedford
• Blackpool
• Bolton
• Bradford
• Bury
• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Cornwall
• County Durham
• Coventry
• Darlington
• Derby
• Derbyshire
• Doncaster
• Dorset
• Dudley
• East Sussex
• Halton
• Hartlepool
• Isle of Wight
• Kirklees
• Knowsley
• Leeds
• Lincolnshire
• Liverpool
• Luton
• Manchester
• Middlesbrough
• Norfolk
• North Northamptonshire
• North Somerset
• North Yorkshire
• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire
• Oldham
• Peterborough
• Plymouth
• Portsmouth
• Rochdale
• Rotherham
• Salford
• Sandwell
• Sefton
• Somerset
• South Gloucestershire
• South Tyneside
• St Helens
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Suffolk
• Sunderland
• Swindon
• Tameside
• Wakefield
• Walsall
• Wirral