The End of Education Investment Areas – What It Means for Schools

In a significant shift in education policy, the UK government has scrapped the Education Investment Areas (EIAs) programme, a levelling-up initiative designed to improve outcomes in underperforming regions.

Announced in 2022, EIAs provided targeted funding, teacher incentives, and school improvement support to 55 towns and counties with the lowest educational attainment. The initiative aimed to ensure that 90% of pupils met expected standards at key stage 2 and to improve GCSE English and maths grades from an average of 4.5 to 5 by 2030.

However, it has now been confirmed that no future policies will be prioritised for EIAs. Instead, the Department for Education (DfE) is shifting focus to its RISE school improvement teams, which will target key challenges that hinder student progress.

This decision follows the earlier discontinuation of the Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF), which helped schools expand and collaborate within multi-academy trusts. Schools in EIAs also received priority access to the Connect the Classroom scheme, designed to enhance internet connectivity, but a new funding approach is now being developed. While secondary teachers in EIAs will still receive retention incentive payments for 2025-26, their continuation beyond this period remains uncertain.

The decision also affects the 24 Priority Education Investment Areas (PEIAs), which received additional support due to high levels of deprivation. Funding for these areas, including the £42 million Local Needs Fund, will cease after March 2025.

With these changes, many educators and policymakers are left questioning the long-term strategy for improving education in disadvantaged areas. While the government insists that targeted interventions will continue, the removal of place-based funding raises concerns about the future of education equality.

At The David Brown Foundation, we remain committed to ensuring that no child is left behind. As we continue to follow these developments, we encourage open discussion on how best to support schools and students who need it most.