EDUCATION inspectors are happy that Blackburn with Darwen Council will be able to deal with two failing schools in the borough.

Governors and staff at Queens Park Technology College in Shadsworth in Blackburn have been told they have two years in "special measures" to sort out problems after a highly critical report by the Office for Standards in Education.

The announcement comes just two weeks after similar sanctions were introduced to Darwen's Moorland High School, where the board of governors has also been suspended.

The fact that two schools in the local education authority have been subject to such damning judgments in a fortnight has raised concerns that Blackburn with Darwen may have wider problems with secondary education.

Opposition councillors have expressed concern that an authority which has benefited from Education Action Zone funding and been given Beacon Status as an example to other education authorities, could not prevent the schools from failing.

It comes after last year the audit commissions Comprehensive Performance Assessment raised Blackburn with Darwen Education Authority's rating from three to four out of four.

But Ofsted and Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson have dismissed the concerns.

A spokeswoman for Ofsted said: "In 2001 we audited Blackburn with Darwen Council.

"We found that its procedures for dealing with schools with difficulties were outstanding.

"We are confident that the council will be able to deal with the problems following the introduction of special measures. That is one of the reasons for making the decision.

"The Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment was based on five measures, one of which was the local education authority's ability to deal with problems in schools."

Council leader Sir Bill Taylor has said that much more control over schools was handed over to individual heads at the request of the Government.

And Mrs Anderson backed Ofsted and the council.

She said: "I am confident that Blackburn with Darwen Council can deal with this.

"I am delighted that Moorland High School was put in special measures because it means the council can intervene and deal with the problems.

"Before this happened it could only advise the head and governors and if their advice was ignored there was nothing they could do.

"Now Moorland High is in special measures they can divide an action plan to deal with the problem."