CHILDREN will learn in school alongside their parents in a scheme being planned for Bolton. Councillors were told that up to £2 million could be awarded by over the next four years as part of Government efforts to raise education standards and job prospects. At the heart of the plan is a drive to promote family literacy through primary schools in the Burnden and Tonge areas.

Pupils will be able to learn alongside their parents. Teachers and advisory staff will help pupils reach national standards in literacy and cash will be spent on better facilities.

Parts of the project area have many of the problems associated with inner cities, such as high levels of unemployment, low attainment in education and training and large numbers of disaffected young people.

The level of unemployment in the area is significantly higher than in Greater Manchester and the rest of the country - 7.3pc compared with the national average of 5.6pc and Greater Manchester's 6pc.

Levels of long term unemployment and youth unemployment are 10.1pc, compared with 7.9pc for the borough while the area has an 11pc ethnic minority population who experience 20pc unemployment.

Levels of attainment in the primary schools are below the national average. At secondary age only 27pc of pupils achieved five GCSEs at A-C - the national average is 40pc. And 20pc gained no GCSEs while the national average is eight pc.

Terry Piggott, deputy director of education, said: "If this bid is successful then we could be looking at more than £1.5 million extra spending in schools in these areas

"This is a substantial resource which has the capacity to make a very real difference to children in these schools and ultimately to the expectations of people living in these areas."

The funding bid has been drawn up by Bolton Strategic Partnership made up of council representatives, people from further and higher education and representatives of the TEC and the Chamber of Commerce.

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