MANY of the education “cold spots” identified for levelling-up funding have been decimated by the government’s own austerity cuts over the last decade, the National Education Union (NEU) pointed out yesterday.

Ahead of the expected publication of the long-delayed levelling up white paper today, Tory ministers have announced that 55 parts of England where education outcomes are weakest will receive targeted support. 

Teachers in places such as Rochdale, the Isle of Wight and Walsall will be offered a “levelling up premium” to improve retention, while schools judged less than “good” in successive Ofsted inspections could be incorporated into multi-academy trusts.