Opportunity areas: Overview - On identity

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In Ipswich, 116 early childhood professionals from 66 nurseries have been trained as Child Development Champions, learning techniques to support children's language development, and strategies to support parents to continue their child's learning at home. In Cambridgeshire, early years settings and schools can access a grant of up to £10,000, to be spent on recruitment incentives including driving lessons, childcare vouchers and a rental deposit. In Derby, early years settings in eight priority wards can access free support and early years training through Elklan.

What these and many other projects have in common is that they are funded by money from the Government's three-year, £72 million Opportunity Areas scheme. The first six Opportunity Areas were revealed in 2016, following a report from the Social Mobility Commission identifying ‘social mobility coldspots’ – places where educational attainment and job prospects were poor. The initial areas were West Somerset, Norwich, Blackpool, Scarborough, Derby and Oldham. In 2017, six further areas were added: Bradford, Doncaster, Fenland & East Cambridgeshire, Hastings, Ipswich and Stoke-on-Trent.