Lancashire launches Burnley schools project to heal community wounds

The council has applied to the Department for Education and Skills' Building Schools for the Future initiative, which offers £2.2bn a year to improve the UK's schools stock.

The scheme would involve the closure of eight secondary schools in the market renewal area of Burnley and three in Pendle, to be replaced by seven new schools.

The project aims to improve community cohesion in the area, which suffered race riots in 2001, while slashing its current surplus of 1600 school places.

"Obviously there was a lot of social unrest in the area two years ago, but we are trying not to concentrate on that, although this plan will do a great deal towards making community cohesion easier to achieve," said councillor Alan Whittaker, Lancashire council's cabinet member for education.

"For historic reasons, some schools are considered better than others. If we can get this right and come up with new schools with parity of esteem, then we can really transform the educational scene in Burnley."

This plan will do a great deal towards making community cohesion easier to achieve

Councillor Alan Whittaker, Lancashire County Council

At the moment, some of Burnley's schools have a majority of white students, while some have a majority of black and minority-ethnic students.

Whittaker declined to discuss any possible integration plans, but did say the council aimed to build seven new schools with no historic links, each with its own specialism and community facilities, to which any family would be happy to send their child.

Lancashire council has worked closely with Elevate East Lancashire, the market renewal pathfinder, to develop the project.

Elevate chief executive Max Steinberg said: "Working closely with education and other services is vital to the success of the market renewal initiative."