EDUCATION chiefs who are planning East Lancashire's first publicly-funded Islamic schools have pledged to look hard at the findings of the race riot report which criticised single-faith teaching.

Meanwhile, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Bill Taylor said that although the towns escaped the summer violence they were not complacent.

Talks are under way which could give Blackburn state Islamic high and primary schools in 2003. They would be the first in the county.

But a new Home Office-sponsored report into the violence in Burnley, Bradford and Oldham comments: "A significant problem is posed by existing and future mono-cultural schools, which can add to the separation of communities."

Education Secretary Estelle Morris has said the Government is committed to allowing more Christian, Islamic and Jewish schools if parents want them.

Independent research in Blackburn found many Muslim parents wanted their children to go to their own state faith school.

The race riot report, by the Community Cohesion Review Team, chaired by former chief executive of Nottingham City Council Ted Cantle, added that faith schools and other schools which were dominated by one ethnic group because of their location should give "at least 25 per cent" of places to youngsters from other backgrounds.

In Blackburn, education chiefs are in talks about supporting the independent Tauheedul Islam Girls' School in Bicknell Street to become a voluntary-aided Islamic high school.

And it is in consultations with the Government, the Lancashire Council of Mosques and Blackburn Diocese about the possibility of transforming either a Church of England or community primary school into a voluntary-aided Islamic primary school. Of the 59 primary schools in Blackburn with Darwen six have more than 90 per cent ethnic minority pupils.

And among community state high schools, Beardwood has 92 per cent ethnic minority pupils, Pleckgate 64 per cent and Queen's Park 33 per cent.

At St Wilfrid's CE the figure is one per cent. There are seven independent Islamic schools in the borough. Today, Coun Taylor said: "Proposals currently on the table in Blackburn with Darwen include consulting extensively between now and March 1 on whether to establish a city academy open to all faiths and none and also whether to bring an existing independent Islamic faith school into the state system.

"This report will, of course, form part of that consultation process."

Coun Taylor added: "Blackburn with Darwen escaped the unrest experienced by some other boroughs this summer.

"We believe that is due to our commitment to delivering services that people in our borough want and recognising the needs and choices of our community as a whole by promoting social cohesion.

"But we are not complacent, and we do know that things can change overnight.

"We will, of course, examine this report and look at it in detail when we receive it."