PASS rates for students at three East Lancashire colleges are well below the national average, official statistics show.

The Further Education Funding Council has published detailed figures on performances of colleges across the country.

And the annual survey shows that students in Burnley and neighbouring Accrington and Rossendale are performing badly compared to neighbouring colleges.

Statistics cover a range of areas including funding performance, drop out rates and student achievement.

While standards have increased across the country the average pass rate at Accrington and Rossendale College is 60 per cent compared to a national average of 75 per cent.

Burnley College has a pass rate of 61 per cent, Nelson and Colne College is 64 per cent while Blackburn has a healthy 78 per cent pass rate in all subjects. Blackburn and Burnley both reached the targets for funding by the Government while Accrington and Rossendale fell slightly below the target.

All three colleges have seen small changes in the number of changes in students who complete their courses.

David Melville, chief executive of the FEFC, said: "Performance indicators are vital to the further education sector. They enable the council to chart the sector's success in raising standards and improving participation.

"Colleges can measure the level of their improvement by using these indicators as a starting point."

He added: "As we approach fundamental changes to the post-16 education and training sector, it is essential that the standards agenda is continually addressed.

"These indicators not only show how individual colleges are progressing, but how the sector as a whole is responding.

"The data shows that further education is taking major steps forward in raising its standards of education and training."

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