A MASS rally against the opening of academies in Darwen and Accrington is being held tomorrow.

Teachers, parents and other objectors are meeting in Manchester to protest about Government plans for more academies across the North West.

The march has been organised by the National Union of Teachers, which has opposed academies from the outset, primarily on grounds they damage local education by giving control of the schools to private sponsors - and out of the hands of the local authority - while still being state-funded.

Simon Jones, Lancashire executive NUT member, said: "Academies threaten the role of the governing body and reduce the numbers of parent governors on the board.

"Often the academy sponsors have no previous experience in education, coming from call centre or car dealership business backgrounds.

"Above all, the creation of an academy has a detrimental effect on all remaining schools in the area, as academies are able to select their intake and have higher exclusion rates than state schools, therefore creating a two-tier system."

Plans for Accrington Academy - which would replace Moorhead Sports College - are under public consultation, but it is set to open in September.

The Darwen Academy would replace Darwen Moorland High School, but ongoing wrangling over Blackburn with Darwen Council's preferred site could lead to further delays. Residents in the Redearth Triangle have appealed to the High Court to overturn a decision to build the academy on the site of their homes.