PARENTS of children from ethnic minorities believe their youngsters are discriminated against in Blackburn and Darwen schools.

They say there are not enough black or Asian teachers or single-sex schools, harassment is not dealt with properly, and the admissions policy goes against them.

Community representatives made the claims when Blackburn with Darwen Council consulted the public about its plans for when the town hall takes control of the borough's schools from County Hall next April.

Views and ideas from the consultation are being used to help formulate policies.

A report to the education and training committee says 28.5 per cent of under-15s in the borough are from an Asian background and the figure is growing. The public consultations raised serious concerns over the way race is dealt with.

Many parents believe there are not enough Asian or black teachers in Blackburn and Darwen.

There are also calls to take another look at the way racial incidents and harassment in the classroom and playground are reported.

People said the current admissions policy discriminates against children from ethnic backgrounds.

There was also concern about the lack of single sex schools and a council-controlled Islamic school.

A series of promises have been made in Blackburn with Darwen's education blueprint.

They include:

A review of arrangements for reporting racial harassment.

Exploring with schools problems caused by families making long trips abroad.

Discussing with schools on why people think the admissions policy is unfair.

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