Rochdale identified as one of 55 education ‘cold spots’ in England

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Schools in these areas that have been judged less than Good in successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong multi-academy trusts

Rochdale has been identified as one of 55 ‘cold spots’ in England which will benefit from funding as an 'Education Investment Area' in the government’s Levelling Up white paper.

Through the Levelling Up white paper, areas like Rochdale are set to benefit from improved schools, part of a package of measures that will also boost take-up of high-quality training across England and support stable families that help children to succeed.

The ‘cold spots’ are said to be parts of the country where school outcomes are the weakest, with plans to target investment, support and action that help children from all backgrounds and areas to succeed.

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 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 the highest standard of education this country offers.

Schools that have been judged less than Good in successive Ofsted inspections could be moved into strong multi-academy trusts, to attract more support. This will be subject to a consultation in the spring.

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.

Schools in the Education Investment Areas will also be given support to address wider issues. For instance, schools struggling with attendance will be encouraged to join a new pilot programme to tackle the issue.

Councillor Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children’s services and education, said: “We welcome any support that enables children in Rochdale to thrive and overcome some of the challenges they have experienced as result of the pandemic or disadvantage. What we need to see now is more of the detail and what this specifically means for our borough and how the gulf in attainment between different areas of the country is going to be addressed.

“We have fantastic and committed schools and educational professionals in our borough and through our collected commitment to ‘Raising Rochdale’ we are ambitious and passionate about enabling children to thrive. But, we’ve always been clear that this needs to be backed up by government financially supporting us with this and I hope to see that come through in the detail.”