Government’s vision for devolved education should have funding set for ten-year periods to ensure the greatest impact, a new study has argued. An evaluation of the Conservatives’ opportunity areas programme by the University of Bath, University of Bristol and Durham University found the “staggered” nature of funding limited long-term impacts. The programme was a £108 million intervention that ran from 2017 to 2022, aiming to close regional gaps in education and skills. It invested in 12 regions identified as “social mobility cold spots”, with funding directed through local partnership boards made up of representatives from education, business, community organisations and local government. Researchers have published an evaluation of the scheme as prime minister Andy Burnham plans to “rewire the state” and give regional mayors control over local education pathways. The cabinet office released a statement in July which set out the ambition for all parts of the country to be “able to set their own ambitions and integrate services to meet people’s needs”. ‘Long term change with a short term programme’ The five-year long opportunity areas scheme saw three instalments of funding – one covering the first three years, followed by two one-year extensions. Researchers found this “undoubtedly created challenges for many of the areas”. One partnership board member, involved in one of the participating areas, said the scheme was “trying to achieve long term change with a short term programme”. Analysis of educational outcomes in the 12 participating areas found ten areas saw a drop in pupils studying at A-level and above after the programme begun, though this was in line with the national average in many comparison areas. Exclusion and attendance improvements were also “short lived”, researchers found. They argued that these outcomes were a “feature of the limited time of the programme, as addressing school exclusions and attendance requires tackling underlying issues such as SEND provision, parental engagement, instability within schools, which typically are not resolved within three years”. Researchers argued that investment should come in 10-year periods to “allow the success of the initiative being given time to come into fruition”. ‘Reciprocal learning’ Researchers said in a devolved system, the relationship between central government and local areas “needs to involve reciprocal learning”, with strategies “co-produced with young people”. Author of the report and professor of childhood, inclusion and education policy at the University of Bath Ceri Brown said: “Short-term funding, top-down targets and narrow measures of success can limit the ability of local partners to respond to the particular needs of the area. “The major political parties are largely in agreement that devolution is a good thing, but it is less clear how this can successfully be delivered. This evaluation and our wider research on place-based approaches to NEET prevention tell us research-informed approaches are most likely to succeed.”