Opportunity Areas programme to support young people hit hardest by pandemic
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Funding confirmed for each of 12 Opportunity Areas, following £18m
expansion into a fourth year Place-based approach will help level
up outcomes in employment and education to support recovery from
the pandemic Opportunity Areas to be ‘twinned’ with places facing
similar challenges, expanding flagship programme’s reach Thousands
of young people in the most disadvantaged parts of England are to
benefit from a new focus on making up lost...Request free trial
Thousands of young people in the most disadvantaged parts of England are to benefit from a new focus on making up lost learning time due to the pandemic, as well as levelling up their education outcomes and tackling barriers to skills and employment. Michelle Donelan, Minister for the Opportunity Areas, today announced how the expanded programme will address the impact of coronavirus, building on the successes across each of the 12 areas by ‘twinning’ them with places facing similar challenges to help unleash the potential among young people in other parts of the country. The fourth year of the flagship programme, announced last year, will raise the bar for young people boosting social mobility by raising educational outcomes and addressing inequality in skills and employment. Funding allocations for each area have also been confirmed today, following the announcement of an £18 million expansion for an additional year in November. Within each allocation is a share of £1 million specifically to support the new ‘twinning’ work. As part of the renewed focus for Year 4 of the programme, Minister Donelan will bring together ministers responsible for employment, youth services, public health, business and industry and policing to help chart a course to recovery from the pandemic and get Britain moving. Opportunity Areas have already made a difference by improving the quality of careers advice, work experience, digital and other skills for employment as well as providing opportunities to develop confidence, leadership and resilience. The programme will now build on these successes by giving young people the skills they need for the jobs they want. Minister Donelan said: “Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, the Government’s focus has been on making sure the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in our society get the support they deserve. “Around the country, the response to the pandemic has been heroic, and each of the 12 Opportunity Areas has co-ordinated its approach to help those who need it most respond to immediate challenges. “Now as we chart a course to recovery, we will build on the programme’s success so far to benefit young people in new areas and level up their life chances. “We know that we can tackle these barriers more effectively when we come together across our different policy areas and by harnessing the expertise and experience of these dedicated professionals.” Year 4 priorities across the 12 Opportunity Areas include early speech and language development because, for too long, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds start school already behind their peers elsewhere in the country. Other areas will learn from the rapid rise in the Good Level of Development at age 5 – a key indicator of school readiness - already seen in West Somerset, Oldham and Derby OAs. The programme will also help pupils catch up on lost learning time while schools were closed to many pupils during the pandemic, and to help narrow the attainment gap. Many of the Opportunity Areas (OAs) have already put in place important support programmes, including:
The programme is already having an impact in a wide range of areas from early years education to employment, following an initial £72 million boost for interventions across literacy, maths, attendance, teacher training and recruitment, post-16 options and careers advice since its launch in 2017. Teacher recruitment and training is another focus for Year 4 to help raise standards – one of the best ways to support disadvantaged pupils. North Yorkshire Coast OA will share its innovative recruitment campaign which attracted 24 teachers from outside the area to take up posts and filled over 100 teaching vacancies across 28 schools. Bradford OA is already taking a joined up approach between education and health with its ‘glasses in classes’ project to make sure children who fail an eye test are provided glasses in school to learn, and its early identification of autism so children get the support they need when they need it. Notes to editor: The Department is investing £90 million over four years in 12 Opportunity Areas across England to help level up skills and outcomes for children and young people: £72m in its first three years and £18 million for an additional fourth year until August 2021. The programme will support the government’s wider work in recovering from the impacts of Covid-19 and beyond. Of the £18 million, £1 million will be used for twinning projects with other areas. The OAs have also benefitted from a share of £22 million from the Essential Life Skills programme to help young people develop skills such as resilience, teamwork, leadership, and self-control. There are 12 OAs:
Funding allocations for Y4:
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