Levelling Up White Paper: commitments for education

The government has launched its Levelling Up White Paper, which sets out a plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.

The White Paper has a mission that by 2030, the number of primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths will have significantly increased. In England, this will mean 90% of children will achieve the expected standard, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by over a third.

The White Paper highlights how there will be 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs) identified where school outcomes are currently weakest.

These areas, 95% of which are outside London and the South East, will benefit from intensive investment and support. This will ensure the worst off schools of the North, Midlands, South West and East of England receive the most support over this decade.

They will be supported by the Department for Education (DfE) offering retention payments to schools in these areas ensuring they can retain the best teachers. They will also be prioritised for new specialist sixth form free schools that will ensure talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the highest standard of education this country offers.

There will also be Local Skills Improvement Plans rolled out with funding across England, giving local employer bodies and stakeholders a statutory role in planning skills training in their area, to better meet local labour market needs.

It also says how recommendations will be taken forward from Henry Dimbleby’s review towards a National Food Strategy. DfE will work with the Food Standards Agency to pilot measures to ensure greater compliance with the school food standards. The government will pilot the Community Eat Well programme, enabling GPs to prescribe exercise and healthy food.