A MASSIVE plan is to be drawn up to improve standards in schools across Blackburn and Darwen after a council survey pinpointed major weaknesses.

Each local council in the country has been told it must regularly carry out surveys of standards in schools and draw up plans to tackle problems identified.

And town hall education chiefs in Blackburn have uncovered a series of problems which will be targeted in the new plan for action.

Weaknesses identified include:

Exam achievement below the national average.

A higher level of absence among secondary pupils than the national average.

More schools than average being labelled as failing and told they need to implement "special measures" to radically improve standards.

A higher level of expulsions among secondary pupils than in other areas.

However, the survey discovered that Blackburn and Darwen schools were better than elsewhere in Britain at personal and moral development, pupil attitudes, teaching standards and the number of schools which received good or excellent OFSTED reports from inspectors.

A consultation exercise is likely to be undertaken during the final three months of 1998 so that ideas about what should be done to tackle problems can be discussed.

Head teachers, school governors, employers, colleges, religious groups, councillors and teacher associations will all be included in the consultation process.

Council education committee chairman Bill Taylor said: "We welcome the opportunity the government has given us to have a careful look at provision in the borough.

"We will be working with our partners to build up the strengths and tackle the weaknesses in the report."

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