It’s great news that the North Yorkshire Coast (Scarborough, Whitby and Filey) is to benefit from up to £6m to tackle education inequality so that every young person has the opportunity to make the most of their abilities. North Yorkshire Coast is one of 12 areas to have been selected for an extra £72m. It is currently ranked 312th out of 324 districts in the Social Mobility Index, which measures the difference between where children grow up and the chances they have of doing well in adult life.
The ambitious plan which was published today, is part of the Opportunity Area Programme, and will focus on early years (children getting a head start in life); maths (ensuring youngsters excel in this subject); literacy (encouraging youngsters to read and write in order to open up future opportunities); and good secondary schools (for everyone).
This programme will build on some strong foundations. There is expected to be some significant job growth in the coming years, particularly in engineering, construction, IT and health and social care. The £2.3 bn Sirius Minerals project will create 1,000 new jobs and a further 2,000 in the supply chain. North Yorkshire County Council is investing £750,000 to improve life chances for young people mostly in Scarborough and Filey and employers have shown their commitment to making sure young people are prepared to benefit from these opportunities.
It will be delivered by the North Yorkshire Partnership Board which is made up of senior leaders from schools, communities, businesses, central and local government under an independent chairman, Sir Martin Narey. Working alongside the Department of Education, the Board will decide how best to spend the money and this will be topped up by additional support from other DOE funds as they prioritise the North Yorkshire Coast
I’m really delighted about this initiative. It is really important that every child has the best possible start in life, wherever they live so they can really fulfil their potential. With everyone pulling together this plan will make a huge difference and chimes with the Prime Minister’s determination to build a country that works for everyone. Our children deserve it.