SCHOOLS in Blackburn with Darwen are more segregated than they were five years ago, according to new research.

The borough was singled out as one of four areas of 'concern' in the Understanding School Segregation in England study.

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The research, carried out by the iCoCo Foundation, SchoolDash and The Challenge, shows the more deeply segregated areas in 2011 have made little progress or are becoming even more segregated.

The figures show in Blackburn with Darwen 71 per cent of primaries and 83 per cent of secondaries are classified as segregated.

This compares to 63.6 per cent of primary schools in 2011 and 80 per cent of secondaries.

Using a new method, academics measured how segregated a school is by comparing its number of white British pupils with those of the 10 schools closest to them.

One of the report’s authors Professor Ted Cantle said Blackburn with Darwen Council has done a lot to tackle segregation but it is time for the schools and faith authorities to do more.

He said: “We know that contact between groups improves tolerance and breaks down prejudice – and will even contribute to tackling extremism. But we appear to be going in the opposite direction.

“Schools are our best chance for integration."

Dave Harling, the council's executive member for schools and education, said it is hard for schools to change their admissions policy particularly when many policies take into account siblings and geography.

“It is a difficult thing to change but I think what you can do and what we try to do as an authority is have things that bring children from different schools together such as the dance festival we’ve just held,” he said.

The report shows segregation has also increased in schools in Lancashire. In 2011, 34 per cent of primaries were classed as segregated compared to 38 per cent in 2016.

For secondaries it increased from 47 per cent to 54 per cent.