Fears of Labour agenda hamper action zone plan. Some deprived areas are spurning the scheme set up to benefit them
Birmingham: two bids
* Private sector: includes local training and enterprise council.
* No intention to alter pay and conditions.
Bradford: one bid
* Private sector: TEC and Bradford Careers Ltd
* Will alter curriculum to work on literacy, health and disaffection
Croydon: two bids
* Private sector: exam board Edexel, local businesses, Lloyds, TSB, and another national company
* Intends to vary curriculum at key stage 4 to get pupils ready for work. Might vary teachers’ contracts
Cumbria: one bid - Barrow-in-Furness
* Private sector: no partners yet
Hackney: one bid
* Private sector: no details
Lambeth: bids for two zones
* Private sector: CFBTconsultancy
* No intention to vary teachers’ conditions
NE Lincolnshire: one bid - Grimsby.
* Private-sector partners: World Challenge Expeditions; UKENSA, a computer consortium, and IBEC, a training company
* Will vary curriculum by holding literacy and numeracy hours in secondary schools. Plans to appoint advanced skills teachers.
Liverpool: one bid
* Private sector: no details
* Will involve a “significant re-write” of the curriculum to stress IT and performing arts
Manchester: two draft bids
* Private sector: council says it needs more time to make partnerships with employers
* Will not vary teachers’ contracts
Middlesbrough: one bid for east Middlesbrough
* Private sector: consortium, Teesside Tomorrow
Newcastle one bid based around Blakelaw, a failing school to be reopened as a new school
Newham: one bid
* Private sector: includes Arthur Andersen, Capita and Timeplan Norfolk: one bid - Thetford
* Private sector: no details
* No plans to change curriculum or vary teachers’ contracts.
Southwark: one bid
* Private sector: includes Price Waterhouse and Optimum Health Trust.
Sheffield: one bid
* Private sector: no details
South tyneside: one bid for south of borough
* Private sector: no details
Wiltshire: one bid - Salisbury Plain.
* Private sector: ICL, Industrial Society, the Army, Royal British Legion training college.
* Scheme to address problem of rapid turnover of army children who move schools every two years on average.
