Leeds set for "elite" sixth form-free schools as part of new government plans to help most disadvantaged areas

It comes as Leeds has been identified as one of 55 “cold spots” nationwide where education outcomes are weakest.

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.

"We are not so sure about the idea of setting up 'new elite sixth forms'. This sounds like they will serve children who already do very well and could put pressure on existing provision when the simplest solution would surely be to improve the lamentable state of post-16 funding," Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said.

The plans will identify 55 "cold spots" nationwide where education outcomes are weakest, including Rochdale, the Isle of Wight, Walsall, parts of Yorkshire and Sunderland.

The Department for Education said that as "95 per cent of these areas are outside London and the South East, it is the struggling schools of the North, Midlands, East of England and South West that will be receiving much more support over the next decade".

The DfE confirmed that teachers would be offered a "levelling up premium" to improve retention, while £200 million would be assigned to the Government's Troubled Families programme, as announced last year in the Spending Review.

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.

Leeds schools will be included in the plans and for Coun Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council's deputy leader and executive member for education, while he has welcomed the investment he caled on the Government to clarify by providing further details on the plans.

“I’m pleased that the need for investment has been recognised but as always with the Government we need to wait to see the detail of what they are proposing." he said.

"At first glance this appears to be a revisiting of previously scrapped policies with very little details as to what support will actually be given but I sincerely hope that what we get will be the meaningful investment in education that is so desperately needed.”

Plans will also set a target for 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 per cent 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.

Out of the 55 areas, 12 are local authorities containing Opportunity Areas created by former education secretary Justine Greening.

Mr Barton said: "We share the Government's ambition to improve numeracy, literacy and therefore the life chances among the one-third of young people who need more support.

He added that it was "slightly infuriating" that the Government "insists on talking about illiteracy and innumeracy".

"These children are not illiterate or innumerate and it is somewhat insulting to describe them as such. They just fall below the expected standard at primary school against a specific set of tests," he said.

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."

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said that "many of the areas now targeted for support have been among the hardest hit by education cuts over the last decade - on the Government's own watch, and entirely of its own making".

"The sums being promised will not make up for what has been cut. If the Government was serious about levelling up education, then it would restore all the money it has cut from these schools," he added.

Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said: "Targeted investment for those areas of the country with high levels of educational inequality will be key to the Government's efforts - we know from our research that very large education gaps are deeply entrenched in parts of the North and Midlands, and pupils in these areas have also seen far greater levels of learning loss following the pandemic.

"It will be important to closely scrutinise the criteria used by the Government for selecting its 'Education Investment Areas', and how it intends to deliver 'intensive' support over so many areas."

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