EDUCATION chiefs in Lancashire have been praised for improvements they have made to schools after admitting they "took their eyes off the ball" in the 1990s.

Ofsted inspectors have said that most of what the county does in education, it does well.

Schools which dipped below national standards have made improvements and the education authority's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, according to a report published this week.

But some areas of concern were raised, including the need to improve the delivery of special needs provision and the introduction of information technology.

Action plans have been put in place in both of these areas.

Overall, the report praises the authority for bouncing back from a period in the 1990s when a high number of schools were labelled a cause for concern. The report says officials admitted they had "taken their eyes off the ball". Education committee chairman Coun Hazel Harding said: "This excellent report highlights all of the many ways the education authority works to support the education of Lancashire's children.

"It identifies areas for improvement and the inspectors expressed no doubt that the authority would respond positively.

"Work was already well under way to address these issues at the time of the report and is now well advanced.

"I am particularly pleased for all our staff who work tirelessly on behalf of Lancashire's children."

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