The Black Country Education Insight Report 2019

This first annual report considers education in the Black Country holistically and broadly. It moves from early years through compulsory and post-compulsory education, addressing key issues such as mental health and special educational needs and disability along the way, and concludes with a look at possible futures.

In particular, the report highlights how disparities at each phase of a Black Country resident’s experience of education locally influences the next. The rationale behind our approach is that all phases of education are interdependent. We hope that by focusing on education, skills and employment in the Black Country in depth and as a whole, rather addressing issues in isolation, and by using data to highlight what works well as well as where improvement is needed, we can contribute to bringing about positive change.