A PIONEERING Bolton scheme to pay allowances of up to £30 a week to 16 to 19 year olds to persuade them to stay on at school, is to be extended to neighbouring local authorities.

Salford, Manchester, Wigan and Tameside are to adopt the Education Maintenance Allowance system.

The move is part of a £50m expansion of the scheme throughout the UK, following its success in Bolton and other pilot areas.

Some 75,000 teenagers across the country will benefit -- 7,100 in the North West.

The allowances are expected to go to 11,000 pupils in Salford; 2,900 in Manchester; 1,800 in Wigan, and 1,300 in Tameside.

Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett, announcing the additional 40 areas eligible for the scheme from September, said that by the end of the year some 30pc of 16 year olds, nearly 100,000 in total would be eligible for Education Maintenance Allowances.

He said: "EMAs are proving to be a real incentive in helping more young people stay in education. We have had encouraging results from the 15 pilot areas.

"More young people have stayed in full time education as a result of EMAs, and, most importantly, these young people are working harder at their studies."

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