Project Overview

The project – From the Centre to the Periphery – undertakes the first quasi-experimental evaluation of the Opportunity Areas programme – a major £108 million government intervention launched in 2016 by the UK’s Department for Education (DfE) to close regional gaps in education and skills. Through rigorous analysis of this significant area-based initiative, we aim to develop evidence-based policy recommendations for strengthening local skills bases and fostering regional economic growth.

Our research address a key fundamental question in education policy – how effective are area-based initiatives in tackling spatial inequalities? Despite the UK having a rich history of area-based initiatives (e.g., Education Priority Areas), there remains an ongoing policy debate about the relative merits of area-based approaches (targeting particular places) vs people-based interventions (targeting specific groups regardless of location).

By providing the first major quasi-experimental evaluation of the Opportunity Areas programme, this research will generate critical new evidence to inform this debate and guide future policy-making aimed at tackling regional social and economic divides. Our findings will offer practical insights into what works in area-based education initiatives and how such programmes can most effectively support communities facing persistent disadvantage.

Find out more about how the project will work

Who is Involved?

This interdisciplinary research project is funded by the UK Research and Innovation’s Economic and Social Research Council (UKRI-ESRC) and brings together leading experts in geography, education, and policy research three of the UK’s leading universities. The University of Bath leads the collaboration, working with specialist teams at the University of Bristol and Durham University, alongside the Institute for Policy Research IPR.

Research Team

The project is directed by an experienced team of investigators combining expertise in education, geography and sociology:

Professor Michael Donnelly (University of Bath), Principal Investigator
Professor Ceri Brown (University of Bath), Co-Investigator
Professor Matt Dickinson (University of Bath), Co-Investigator
Professor Richard Harris (University of Bristol), Co-Investigator
Professor Nick Pearce (University of Bath), Co-Investigator
Professor Nadia Siddiqui (Durham University), Co-Investigator
Dr Jo Davies (University of Bath), Research Associate
Dr Elle Young (Durham University), Research Associate
Dr Chris Cunningham (University of Bath), Research Assistant

Find out more about our team here

Local Authority Partners

Our research involves close collaboration with local authorities across all 12 former Opportunity Areas, ensuring our findings are grounded in local knowledge and experience:

Blackpool Council
Cambridgeshire County Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
City of Doncaster Council
City of Stoke-on-Trent Council
Derby City Council
East Sussex County Council
Norfolk County Council
Oldham Council
Somerset Council
Suffolk County Council

Additional Partners

Working with the UK Government Department for Education (DfE) and the Local Government Association, we plan to carry out a comprehensive programme of knowledge exchange and research activities to maximise the policy impact of our findings.

Related Outputs

Gorard, S., See, B., & Siddiqui, N. (2022). Making schools better for disadvantaged students. Routledge
Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N., & See, B. H. (2023). Lessons for addressing educational disadvantage from a range of studies. Cogent Education, 10(2), 1-14
Better to Stay or Go? A Longitudinal Study of Mobility over the Compulsory Educational Life Course. Sweet, A., Harris, R. & Manley, D., 15 Sept 2019, In: Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy. 12, 3, p. 697-717 21 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
Space, Identity and Education: A Multi Scalar Framework. Brown, C. & Donnelly, M., 11 Jul 2023, 1 ed. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. 186 p. Research output: Book/Report › Book
The impact of undergraduate degrees on early-career earnings. Belfield, C., Britton, J., Buscha, F., Dearden, L., Dickson, M., Van der Erve, L., Sibieta, L., Vignoles, A., Walker, I. & Zhu, Y., 30 Nov 2019, Department for Education. 82 p. Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
The earnings returns to postgraduate degrees in the UK. Britton, J., Buscha, F., Dickson, M., Van der Erve, L., Vignoles, A., Walker, I., Waltmann, B. & Zhu, Y., Sept 2020, Department for Education. Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Accent and the manifestation of spatialised class structure. Donnelly, M., Gamsu, S. & Baratta, A., 31 Oct 2022, In: The Sociological Review. 61, 101630. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Geographies of elite higher education participation: An urban ‘escalator’ effect. Davies, J., Donnelly, M. & Sandoval‐Hernandez, A., 31 Aug 2021, In: British Educational Research Journal. 47, 4, p. 1079-1101 23 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
‘Home and away’: Social, Ethnic and Spatial Inequalities in Student Mobility. Donnelly, M. & Gamsu, S., 2018, (Acceptance date) The Sutton Trust. Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report