'The paper mill has gone, the harbour has gone, Watchet was an industrial harbour town, it has to either go back to what it was or become a tourist attraction.'

The view of Kieran Berry, who works at the East Quay papermill, is typical of many Watchet residents. Unprompted, local people had more to say about what the town has lost, than what it stands to gain.

Like many towns in West Somerset, it has suffered as workplaces closed and infrastructure failed. After years of neglect, a 2016 report revealed West Somerset as the worst area for social mobility in the whole of England.

The government's Social Mobility Index showed disadvantaged kids in West Somerset have worse chances of doing well at school and getting a good job than their peers in every other local authority area. 

In November 2017 the Social Mobility Commission presented a fresh report to Parliament. It reaffirmed that West Somerset was the worst-performing local authority in England. 

Amongst the reasons for the poor performance, the Commission noted: “The lack of quality jobs and the rurality of the area have a negative impact on schooling”. 

The report highlighted the particular disadvantages faced by young people in the region: “young, disadvantaged people living in the rural and coastal communities of the region experience below-average outcomes”. 

The disappointing findings continued: “West Somerset has very poor educational results for disadvantaged children. Only 27 per cent of them achieve the expected standard at key stage 2 and the Attainment 8 score is only 35.”

Drawing attention to localised difficulties, the report referenced “cold spots mostly cluttered on the coast”.  These are areas like the West Somerset town of Watchet.

The seaside town has suffered following the twin blows of the 1993 harbour closure and the loss of the Wansbrough paper mill in 2015. At the time of its shuttering the 265 year old mill employed 176 workers and was said to be the lifeblood of the town. 

But educators, residents and businesses have not been content to see their area linger at the bottom of the opportunities league table. Recent years have seen a combined effort to tackle deprivation head on. 

In 2017 the government designated West Somerset as an Opportunity Area. This led to the forming of the West Somerset Opportunity Area Partnership Board, a group comprising school leaders, business people, and councillors. 

The board, which was at first chaired by Dr Fiona McMillan, met monthly to oversee the scheme's progress, form working groups and liaise with the Department for Education. 

Then education secretary Justine Greening said at the time: “When I visited West Somerset, I witnessed first-hand the passion and commitment of its leaders…I am delighted that we are working with those leaders to help local children get the best start in life, no matter their background.” 

The Opportunity Area was earmarked to last for three years, before being extended for an additional two. The area received £7.2 million from the Department for Education to help boost outcomes.  

The Department for Education has provided the Free Press with fresh data showing measurable improvements in educational outcomes. 

In a statement the DFE outlined the achievements of the Opportunity Area. The Good Level of Development (GLD) criteria, measures school readiness by the end of reception. By 2019 West Somerset was above the national average for GLD. 

DFE data shows that by 2019, the phonics check, a key test of reading fluency, was above the national standard at year 1. 

For older students the DFE said it expanded its provisions for students beyond the age of 16. This included a mentoring programme at the West Somerset College sixth form. 

By working with the Somerset Education Business Partnership amongst others, the OA was provided resources that enabled students to engage with local businesses. This collaboration was said to deepen school leader’s and employer’s understanding of the local context. 

Assessment against the ‘Gatsby’ metric (8 criteria that judge career provision in education) showed the quality of careers education had improved. 

Chair of the West Somerset Priority Education Improvement Area (PEIA) and former chair of the West Somerset Opportunity Area, Professor Colin Diamond said: “I am very proud of the achievements of the West Somerset Opportunity Area. 

"Whilst it is one of the most beautiful areas in England there have been deep-seated problems in the education system and a lack of progress for many pupils over the years. 

"By tackling things with a long-term perspective, starting with early years and going beyond school into skills for employment and business, we have seen real impact in results.

“Levelling up and social mobility are phrases we hear regularly at the moment from government ministers. What precisely do these words mean? 

"For us, the guiding light was that everyone in West Somerset should have the best possible start in life and be able to make good choices as the decide on what to do after school, whether that is an apprenticeship, college or university. All are equally important to the communities in West Somerset.”

Mr Diamond raises the point that social mobility can be considered more broadly than simply in terms of university admissions. The construction of the nearby Hinkley C nuclear power plant is just such an opportunity for local school leavers to go on to find highly skilled vocational work. 

In EDF’s Hinkley Point C Socio-economic Impact Report 2022, Stuart Crooks, the project’s managing director said: “I am proud that Hinkley Point C is exceeding targets for creating jobs and training opportunities in the communities that host the project.” 

“Our new training centres are open and ready. The first trainees from new programmes have already started to join the project.” 

The report cites several examples of local young people who have benefitted from the project. Daisy Gallagher, age 20, of Watchet, is a trainee operations technician at the site. She began work in January 2022 and was glad to be able to find good work so close to home. 

She said: “It’s nice to be near my family. If I had moved for work, I’d have to rent a place of my own and get the train, whereas at the moment I’m really lucky I can live at home and save for a house.” 

Will Rose, aged 16, and of Cannington, is a T-Level student. He is one of many students on a placement with Hinkley Point C. These alternatives to A-Levels can equip students with the skills to succeed in highly skilled, highly paid jobs. 

Office for National Statistics figures show that Somerset has seen the biggest decline in NEETS – that’s those who are not in employment, education or training – than any other county. At the same time it has exceeded the national average for productivity growth.  

Now, a fresh £850,000 investment in West Somerset's schools is hoped to provide a new boost to children's life chances across the region.

The new money is a share of £42 million in government spending targeted at so-called priority education investment areas, parts of the UK with “high levels of disadvantaged pupils and low educational attainment”.

Announcing the cash boost, a spokesman for Somerset Council said: “The funding for West Somerset is for the benefit of the schools in the area, which are all either local authority-maintained schools or those within either the Beacon Trust or the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust.

“There is a partnership, led by the DfE with an independent chair, which oversees the plan for the area.”

There are seven schools set to benefit from the fund, Danesfield and St Peter's in Williton, Minehead Middle School and Old Cleve in Washford.

The Free Press visited Watchet to ask local people if they felt the developments had made a concrete difference to their town.

Kieran Berry, 28, works at the East Quay papermill. His wife works at Hinckley Point. He said: “EDF has contributed, especially to the road and the wall which were sort of collapsing around the top. The sea wall is in dire need of repair and they have put a lot of money towards that as well as road infrastructure. I think they’re putting up small solar farms and what have you.

"East Quay has been a shot of adrenaline to the local economy, it needs a bit more of that. The paper mill has gone, the harbour has gone, this was an industrial harbour town, this was a working man’s harbour. Now that’s gone it has to either go back to what it was or become a tourist attraction." 

Lee Stirrup, 36, part owner of the West Somerset Hotel told the Free Press: “There are no opportunities a the moment because of the time of the year, it’s a seasonal town. Coming into the Summer we’ll take on part time staff that will then probably go through until September, October.

“I’ve been here for about 4 or 5 years. The road closure up at Cleve Hill has affected things, there’s no passing trade anymore, you’re either coming in here or you’re not. Things are getting better with Hinckley Point but with less passing trade there’s going to be less employment. The more people come in the more we need to employ people.” 

Local plumber Steve Becker, 67 said: “Hinckley is good but it depends how many young people they can take on. If they can get to a college, get a trade under their belt, they’ll be fine."

Though there have been some positive developments in recent years, events continue to highlight just how difficult a task it is proving to turn the region's fortunes around.

In February dozens of students were suspended from West Somerset College after pupils staged a mass walkout in a dispute over punishment policy. 

Some parents called for a fresh Ofsted inspection of the college after the protests resulted in 70 suspensions and 3 expulsions. 

The furore followed Dulverton Junior School being told to improve by schools inspectors last Autumn - though they observed the school was ‘heading in the right direction’.

In April, schools inspectors branded Minehead Middle School as inadequate, with an Ofsted report finding that attendance was ‘consistently low’ and there was little sign of improvement.

The town of Watchet continues to suffer from the closure of the B3191, which ordinarily connects the town to Blue Anchor, and serves as a diversionary route for holidaymakers travelling to Minehead. Meanwhile banks and retail outlets continue to close apace.

Along the coast the low hum of antisocial behaviour is becoming a persistent white noise - where in some instances drug use and vandalism has become a feature rather than a bug of town's greenspaces and parks.

A geotechnical survey forced the road closed in January, and it will reportedly remain shut for "years rather than months" according to the council, threatening the continued good prospects of local businesses. 

And the national economic picture is looking gloomy. West Somerset will no more be able to dodge a forecasted rise in unemployment or the continued cost of living crisis than any other region. 

It is evident that some progress has been made, giving cause to remain optimistic about the prospects for continued improvement. However the fight for opportunity is far from over, with educators, business people and government continuing to battle against economic headwinds and calcified cultural issues.