EDUCATION bosses have revealed the names of schools set to take part in a pioneering scheme.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is bidding to become one of the first authorities in the country to have an Education Action Zone.

And the plan is to form a partnership of schools, local organisations, police and businesses to improve standards.

Blackburn Partnership will represent business interests and put schools in contact with local firms. Colleges and the health authorities have also agreed to sign up the pioneering project.

The scheme would see an extra £4 to £5 million pumped into the EAZ over five years.

The EAZ will run from September 1999 and education bosses believe the bid has a good chance of being accepted by the Government.

All the schools are in Darwen and Shadsworth but organisers point out not all are flagging or failing.

The main theme behind the Blackburn with Darwen package is that the EAZ will be made up of a blend of different types of schools.

Mark Pattison, the recently appointed director of education and training for the borough, is one of the driving forces behind the scheme.

He said: "We genuinely believe that this could be an extremely exciting initiative at an inspiring time for the borough.

"We want to get a wide range of schools working together in a partnership.

"We are not saying that there are no challenging areas but the idea is that this will be a broad partnership made up of all different types of schools. "There have been some reservations but there are even more schools who are unhappy at being left out of the zone."

The bid is based around a series of key principles and Blackburn with Darwen Council has promised the bid will be led by the local authority.

Governors at each school will make the final decision on whether they want to be included in the zone.

The council has also pledged schools outside the zone will not suffer

The three high schools in the EAZ will be Queen's Park, Our Lady and St John's and Darwen Moorland.

Crosshill Special School and Audley, Longshaw and Chapels nurseries have also been added to the list.

The primary schools will be Intack, Shadsworth infant and junior schools, St Anthony's RC, Audley infant and junior schools, St Mary and St Joseph's RC, Longshaw junior and infant schools, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Roman Road, St James in Lower Darwen, St James in Darwen, Sudell and Holy Trinity.

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