Rotherham schools in line for Government cash boost

Schools in newly designated ‘education investment areas’ will be offered retention payments to help schools keep the best teachers in the highest priority subjects, and prioritised for new specialist sixth-form free schools where there is ‘limited provision’.

Rotherham is one of 55 areas in line for the funding, which the DofE says are ‘cold spots of the country where school outcomes are the weakest’.

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

Schools in Rotherham 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 Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people at Rotherham Council, said: “We welcome any investment or additional focus on improving educational attainment for children in Rotherham and we are keenly awaiting full details from Government about changes to policy and what additional resources will be provided through the Levelling Up Fund to support our joint ambitions.

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“We are fortunate to already have strong partnership working across the education spectrum in Rotherham, as well as a strong, committed group of school leaders who work incredibly hard in a range of communities, including a number with high levels of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. So the building blocks are there.

“However, the Government must recognise that the barriers facing us to make the lasting improvements we all want to see go beyond the classroom.

“They are directly linked to the wider issues facing areas like ours, which have a legacy of industrial decline and neglect, compounded more recently by austerity and the pandemic. For levelling up to succeed, these issues must be addressed in tandem.”