We're part of a new £1.4million project investigating geographic education inequalities across the UK.
Professor Nadia Siddiqui, from our School of Education, will work with colleagues from the Universities of Bath and Bristol on this project.
The team will study the impact of area-based education initiatives using evidence from the Opportunity Areas programme.
The UK government programme was launched in 2016 to improve schooling in 12 post-industrial, coastal and rural locations.
The researchers hope their findings will help them understand the mechanisms of area-based interventions to inform recommendations for future policy initiatives.
About the Opportunity Areas programme
The Opportunity Areas programme has overseen an investment of £108 million into improving school standards, attendance, teaching quality and recruitment, careers training and advice, literacy and maths skills, alongside tackling barriers to learning that exist beyond the school gates.
It was the first to target peripheral places beyond urban centres, with ambitions to improve educational attainment, educational and career decision-making, and labour market access in these areas.
Informing new policy
The new research project is being funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
It is part of a £9.7 million package of funding from UKRI for 17 projects to tackle various aspects of regional inequalities, including health, living standards, housing, employment, and homelessness.
Receiving this UKRI funding is a remarkable achievement and the evidence generated from this project will be instrumental in driving forward evidence-based practices that can transform lives and communities."
