The idea of the action zones is to form clusters of under-performing schools in areas of disadvantage around England and to let them in effect tear up the rule book in an effort to raise standards.

The zones will be able to experiment with such things as the curriculum, school hours and teachers' pay.

Applications were invited in January and the closing date was two months ago. The government has now listed the geographic breakdown of the applications.

It is not giving any further information on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. One of the most controversial aspects of the new zones is the involvement of businesses.

The successful bids will be announced next month.

The Schools Standards Minister, Stephen Byers, said: "It is pleasing to see applications from all parts of the country.

"Many of the applications are radical and innovative. They reflect a desire to look at new ways of improving and extending educational opportunities. "

The regional breakdown is as follows:

North East
Middlesbrough
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Redcar & Cleveland
South Shields, S Tyneside
Sunderland

North West
Blackburn
Bolton
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
S Manchester
Wythenshawe, Manchester
E Manchester
Salford/Trafford
Tameside
Wigan
Liverpool

Yorkshire and the Humber
Royston, near Barnsley
N and E Barnsley
Manningham, Bradford
S E Bradford
Halifax
Kingston-upon-Hull
Leeds
Grimsby
Sheffield

East
Basildon, Essex
Luton
Thetford, Norfolk

West Midlands
Aston, Birmingham
Hodge Hill, Birmingham
Hereford, Herefordshire
Sandwell
Solihull
Stoke-on-Trent
Walsall
Wolverhampton

East Midlands
N E Derbyshire
Leicester city
Gainsborough, Lincs
Corby, Northants
Nottingham

South West
Lands End, Cornwall
Camborne, Cornwall
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Plymouth
Bridgewater, Somerset
S E Wiltshire

Inner London
Hackney
Hammersmith and Fulham
Lambeth
Lewisham
Southwark

Outer London
Barking and Dagenham
N Croydon
New Addington, Croydon
Haringey
Newham