SCHOOL leadership in Blackburn with Darwen has been branded as weak according to a new report.

But it also found that Lancashire was among seven authorities that provide better opportunities for their youngest children.

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The findings, which also revealed that less than half of Blackburn’s children reach a good level of development at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, were included in Ofsted’s Annual Report.

The document revealed where Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen councils rank compared to other education providers in the North West and England as a whole.

The gap between the achievement of children living in poverty and their peers is small, at eight per cent, in Blackburn with Darwen but the report added that figure was due to the low levels of achievement for all children. In contrast, the report found that the gap in Lancashire was 23 per cent.

The report also found that 87 per cent of children in Lancashire attend good or outstanding primary schools, the 35th placed local authority in England, compared to 83 in Blackburn with Darwen, which is ranked 68th in the country.

Lancashire is ranked 55th in England with 81 per cent of children attending good or outstanding secondary schools, compared with 68 per cent in Blackburn with Darwen which is ranked 105th.