YOUR article about Blackburn with Darwen Education Authority (Monday, April 5), quoted the former Conservative spokesman for Education as claiming that Blackburn took over "a lot of schools in special measures" when it became a unitary authority.

When Blackburn LEA was inspected in 2000, the OfSTED report claimed that it had inherited nine schools in special measures from Lancashire. Early in 2001, OfSTED investigated and found it to be a "serious inaccuracy."

There were, in fact, four schools in special measures.

All four schools were very quickly removed from special measures -- one within six weeks of the change of LEA. Not even an excellent authority would claim credit for this.

Clearly most of the work required to take these schools out of special measures had been put in place by Lancashire prior to April 1998.

Lancashire subsequently received an apology from OfSTED. It is to be regretted that the perception of senior politicians has not been corrected.

We wish the authority well and acknowledge its particular achievements to date. However, setting the record straight with the public and with the elected members is important.

HAZEL HARDING, Leader of the County Council.