MUCH has been written about Burnley's schools and the need for the borough's education system to be first class.

It's a vital investment in the future of an area that has experienced economic and social problems in the past few years that have made all the wrong sort of headlines elsewhere in the country.

The higher the quality of education the better equipped will be the young people who will make up tomorrow's workforce. A highly educated workforce is a big asset in wooing employers and jobs to any area.

At the same time good schools that buzz with energy enable children from different backgrounds to mix and break down the sort of barriers that breed discontent and strife.

For these reasons we welcome the news that two high schools - St Hilda's and St Theodore's - have been awarded specialist school status.

The former has become the first in the county to receive such status in humanities and will get cash to build a resource centre.

The status, and a £3.3million lottery grant will enable St Theodore's to fund a sports laboratory and a range of sporting facilities.

Both projects are richly deserved and will give the schools and the communities supporting them something to shout about.

They will also give pupils a real opportunity to excel - and that's to the benefit of everyone in the borough.