A £1.2 MILLION scheme to help more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to get into university will be massive boost for Clacton.

The £1.2million IntoUniversity centre in Clacton is due to open in September as part of a partnership between national charity IntoUniversity and Anglia Ruskin University, which has been working with both Tendring Council and Essex County Council.

At least 900 children and young people aged seven to 18 will benefit from the Clacton centre.

Each centre offers after-school academic support, university support mentors, and direct experience of university life.

The Clacton centre will also have a particular science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus, and could have an on-site science laboratory.

Tendring Council’s community leadership and partnership committee discussed its memorandum of understanding with Anglia Ruskin University at a meeting on Monday.

Zoe Fairley, chairman of the committee, said: “Thanks to the work Tendring Council has been doing with its partners over the past three tears, education in Tendring has a positive outlook.

“Significant progress has been made and 85 per cent of schools are now good or outstanding, but it is fragile.

“There is a problem with recruiting and retaining teachers and this is something that we will now be looking at.

“The memorandum of understanding is now under review and the committee has recommended that the good work continues.

“It is unusual for a district council to get involved in education - it is a county council responsibility - but we want to do what we can to ensure education is a priority in Tendring and are making a joint investment of £1.2million to provide the Learning Centre.”

It is proposed the aims of the partnership for the next three years should include maintaining attainment levels in schools across the district, working with County Hall and other groups such as Teach First to continue to address the challenges of recruiting and retaining teachers and head teachers, and to continue to develop the appropriate skills for employability of young people in the area and in turn working with and supporting local businesses.

The new IntoUniversity Learning Centre will be based at the CVS Tendring building in Rosemary Road, Clacton.