SCHOOLS in East Lancashire are to receive a share in a £50 million government windfall in an effort to raise numeracy among primary school children.

And Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council, along with every other local education authority in England, have been given individual targets for the number of 11-year-old children who must reach the required numeracy level for their age in 2002.

In the move, announced by Education Secretary David Blunkett today, schools in Blackburn and Darwen will receive an extra £300,000 to help train and support teachers while schools under the Lancashire education authority will get more than £1.3 million.

In return, teachers will have to increase the number of pupils reaching expected numeracy levels from 53 per cent in Blackburn and Darwen last year to 75 per cent in 2002 and from 63 per cent in Lancashire last year to 79 per cent in 2002.

Coun Bill Taylor, chairman of the education and training committee at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "It's important when you are competing in a global economy that the education our kids get is the best we can give them and numeracy skills are a key aspect of that."

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