A ROMAN Catholic secondary is the latest East Lancashire school to forge links with a national technology organisation which will allow it to develop state-of-the art education for the 21st Century.

St Augustine's RC High in Billington, Ribble Valley, is among a batch of 19 new schools affiliated to the Technology Colleges Trust.

The school joins Blackburn's Witton Park High and Our Lady and St John RC High who joined the trust earlier this year.

The Technology Colleges Trust now boasts a network of more than 850 schools in the United Kingdom.

Schools linked to the trust are allowed to the use the national Technology Colleges logo on official stationery and receive support with curriculum development, especially in science, maths, technology, languages, the arts and vocational education.

Trust members also work in partnership with the original 15 City Technology Colleges as well as the growing number of Technology, Language and Arts Colleges in the country.

The aim of the scheme is to enable all maintained schools to develop the most up-to-date education.

To qualify for affiliation a school must comply with certain criteria which are seen as key features of education, including links with industry, emphasis on teaching technology and strong recognition of the value of vocational education.

Christine Prentice, director for external relations at the Technology Colleges Trust, said: "The network continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.

"One of the main benefits of affiliation is access to our network of like-minded schools, both regionally and nationally."