A Plan to boost educational standards in Tang Hall will go ahead despite being turned down for Government funding, it was stated today.

Education chiefs had hoped to bid for £3 million Government cash to make an area of east York an Education Action Zone.

But their outline proposal was turned down at the first hurdle and they will not be able to go ahead with the bid.

The aim would have been to bring cash to 18 schools, including Burnholme Community College and Archbishop Holgate's CE School and their feeder schools to boost standards in the area.

The initiative involved getting police, health experts, social workers, head teachers and community leaders to work together.

Education Development Officer Shan Oakes said the reasons for the decision would be sent to the City of York Council at a later date.

But she said the partnership which had been brought together to prepare the plan would press ahead with plans, despite the setback.

"Obviously we're disappointed, although we'd already decided we weren't going to be completely knocked flat by a negative response," she said.

"We would like to say thank you to all the people who've been involved and we don't want to waste that. We're now going to produce a short planning document to take us forward."

She said the idea of the project would be to get young people, parents and all members of the community working together to boost academic standards.

"We hope that levels of self esteem will be raised and we are looking at how people can work together better so that that should have a knock-on effect on individual achievement," she said.

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