East Sussex MPs, Caroline Ansell, Maria Caulfield, Nus Ghani, Sally-Ann Hart and Huw Merriman have welcomed a decision to place East Sussex’s education provision at the heart of major new reforms set to give every child and adult the skills they need to fulfil their potential.

Through the government’s Levelling Up white paper, the County was unveiled as one of 55 areas in the country to benefit from improved schools.

The plans being published this week identify areas of the country where school outcomes require improvement. Investment will be targeted to support and help children from all backgrounds to succeed at the very highest levels. Only 5% of these areas are within London and the South East.

In these new ‘Education Investment Areas’, the Department for Education will offer retention payments to help schools keep the best teachers in the highest priority subjects. These areas will be prioritised as the location for new specialist sixth-form free schools where there is limited provision to ensure talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the highest standard of education this country offers.

A new national mission will be set to ensure that 90% of children leaving primary school in England are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths by 2030. In 2019, just 65% of pupils met all 3 standards, with the proportion substantially varying across the country.

Schools in the Education Investment Areas 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.

In addition to the Education Investment Area, the government also announced a skills investment package which includes extra support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Their families and caregivers will be better supported with respite care and internship opportunities. Councils will be funded £30 million for the next 3 years to set up more than 10,000 additional respite placements, helping to provide positive opportunities for disabled children and young people and to give family carers a break so they can look after vulnerable children better in the long-term.

The new funding for respite and Supported Internships come alongside more than £45 million of continued targeted support for families and parents of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These programmes will:

• target support to improve monitoring, support and intervention for local authorities and local health and care partners’ delivery of statutory SEND services, with a focus on underperforming areas and sharing best practice
• improve participation and access for parents and young people for high quality advice and support; and
• directly support schools and colleges to effectively work with pupils with SEND, for example through training on specific needs like autism.

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.”

Reacting to the news, the local MPs said:

“We have fought hard to ensure that Levelling Up delivers for our local residents and not just those further north. This award should deliver investment and interventions to schools and skills providers in East Sussex as well as to families in need. We know that coastal communities need targeted help. It’s important that residents in East Sussex see the return from what the area delivers to the national economy. The opportunities for our young people will be enhanced by this award; it’s now essential that the money is spent on the best outcomes across East Sussex.”