POOR attendances are undermining the effectiveness of a Burnley school, an Ofsted report has revealed.

The Inspectors said Towneley High School pupils were provided with an effective education.

But it added: "Too many pupils are poor attenders with the result that their progress falls off and many leave without appropriate qualifications."

Inspectors said the school was working hard and had tried many strategies to tackle the problem.

Arrangements made for former pupils to move into education, training and employment was a "model of good practice".

Teaching at the school was satisfactory or better in nine out of 10 lessons and in a third it was good.

Nearly one in 10 pupils gained no GCSE passes - poorer than the national average - which inspectors attributed to poor attendance, which was worse in the two years leading up to the examinations. But GCSE results in 1996 showed an upward trend greater than the national improvement.

Head teacher David Hinks is described as charismatic and hard-working and inspectors praised his leadership saying: "The school has sound purposes which are sensitive to the needs of the pupils."

On entering the school, children's attainment was well below national averages, but English "improved dramatically" at GCSE.

Mathematics showed some improvement in GCSE courses, but standards of numeracy were poor in lower attaining groups.

Attainment in science was close to the national average at GCSE and in most other subjects followed the same pattern.

But inspectors found pupils should do better in information technology, music, mathematics and religious education.

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