EDUCATION officials have expressed fears over the standards of worship in high schools across Lancashire.

The county council has looked at reports from OFSTED school inspectors who visited schools across Lancashire and their comments on religious education.

The findings have revealed standards in primary and junior schools are generally high.

Most OFSTED inspection teams made positive comments about the general standards of religious education and collective worship in primary schools.

But religious teaching and collective worship is not seen as an area of strength in most secondary schools in the county.

Charity appeals and assemblies are often well planned, but several areas of concern have been highlighted by OFSTED officials. Moral and spiritual development in pupils during lessons should be given a higher profile and be better organised.

Classes and tutor groups are also seen as the least effective way of dealing with collective worship. Schools also seem to be unsure about the regulations which govern collective worship.

One example was cited where a school broke the rules and did not hold religious assemblies because of a lack of space.

Lancashire County Council's standing advisory council on religious education is set to discuss OFSTED's findings at a meeting on Monday.

The council is expected to look at ways of revising guidelines to improve the situation.

There are also plans to follow up the findings by OFSTED reports and help schools with their religious and moral teaching programmes.

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