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Publications

Publications

This page highlights the key outputs from the From the Centre to the Periphery programme. It is aimed at policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and anyone involved in the Opportunity Areas programme who wants to explore the evidence, tools, and insights generated by the project.

By the end of the project, we aim to publish policy recommendations to inform future area-based education initiatives and produce case studies highlighting stories from Opportunity Areas and matched sites. We will also facilitate learning and engagement through practical tools and deliver a final synthesis report integrating findings from all sites, identifying best practices and actionable lessons for reducing spatial inequalities in education.

Policy Brief

The policy brief titled ‘Green shoots of hope? Increased optimism about future study and work in England’s Opportunity Areas‘ was published in September 2025. The research utilised nationally representative survey data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society) covering the period 2009-2024.

The findings indicate that young people aged 16-21 in Opportunity Areas exhibited increased optimism regarding their future education and employment prospects, contrasting with a national downward trend in similar regions that did not receive additional support. This suggests that the Opportunity Areas programme may have played a significant role in boosting young people’s confidence about their futures. For a detailed overview, visit IPPR’s website.

Green Shoots of HopeDownload
  • Davies, J., Dickson, M., Donnelly, M., Brown, C., Siddiqui, N., Pearce, N., Harris, R., Young, E., & Cunningham, C. (2025). Green shoots of hope? Increased optimism about future study and work in England’s Opportunity Areas (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17277274

Insights from Partnership Boards

The report titled ‘Partnership Board Members’ Reflections on the Opportunity Areas Programme‘ was published in October 2025. Based on interviews with independent board members across ten Opportunity Areas, this report examined how place-based education initiatives aimed at improving social mobility worked in practice. It found that locally rooted interventions and coalitions had stronger, more lasting impact than externally imposed programmes, with supportive DfE oversight preferred over directive approaches. Local relationships and leadership were more important than formal structures, with university partnerships and skilled project managers supporting continuity.

Locally adapted activities in early years, school attainment, post-16 transitions, and mental health outperformed pre-set initiatives. Short-term funding and artificial area groupings limited impact, highlighting the need for multi-year investment and context-sensitive approaches. Education outcomes were closely linked to wider systems, including health, housing, transport, and employment. Durable legacies included strengthened networks, relationships, and methodological learning, supported by local capacity.

Overall, the report indicates that place-based programmes can drive meaningful change, but lasting impact requires structural support, flexibility, and recognition of broader systemic factors.

Interviews_OA Programme leadsDownload
  • Young, E., Siddiqui, N., Donnelly, M., Brown, C., Dickson, M., Pearce, N., Harris, R., Davies, J., & Cunningham, C. (2025, October 10). Partnership Board Members’ reflections on the Opportunity Areas Programme. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4639461

Opportunity Areas and Educational Outcomes

This report titled ‘Evaluating the Impact of the Opportunity Areas Programme on Educational Outcomes‘ was published in October 2025. It presents a descriptive analysis of educational outcomes in Opportunity Areas between 2014 and 2023, using School Census data to examine patterns in attainment, attendance, absence, and exclusions, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, relative to national trends.

While some areas saw early improvements in KS2 attainment and narrowed gaps for disadvantaged pupils after 2016, these gains largely reversed by 2018–19. KS4 outcomes showed little sustained progress, with most areas consistently below national averages. Absence and exclusion rates remained high throughout the period and worsened during COVID-19. Deep-rooted socio-economic factors, including poverty, health inequalities, and local labour market conditions, limited the long-term impact of school-focused interventions. The findings suggest that while targeted support and local collaboration had some positive effects, lasting improvements require a holistic approach that addresses education alongside wider social and economic factors.

Evaluating the Impact of the OA on Educational OutcomesDownload
  • Siddiqui, N., Gazmuri, C., Young, E., Donnelly, M., Cunningham, C., Davies, J., Dickson, M., Brown, C., Harris, R., & Pearce, N. (2025, October 10). Evaluating the Impact of the Opportunity Areas Programme on Educational Outcomes. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4638760