EAST Lancashire school children who are from poorer backgrounds are being let down by the school admissions system, according to a new report.

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has found that in 2009 Blackburn with Darwen 25 per cent of children eligible for free school meals achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, compared to 49 per cent of those not eligible.

And in the same year in Lancashire 25 per cent of children in Lancashire on free school meals achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, compared to 57 per cent of those not eligible.

Council bosses, who run the admissions services for most schools, said they were aware of the issue and were working to ‘narrow the gap’ in attainment levels between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.

Martin Narey, Barnardo’s chief executive said: “The school admissions system has become a complex game, one that many parents in poorer households are not aware is going on around them.

“Even when conscious of race for the best schools, some less confident and able parents are often overcome by a fatalism and are resigned to the fact that their son or daughter will be left with whatever school other parents don’t want.”

Lancashire County Councillor Susie Charles, cabinet member for children and schools, said they were working hard to 'narrow the gap in attainment'.

She said: "We are targeting support on schools, children and families in areas of greatest disadvantage, including direct assistance to heads, extra support for families and of course the first wave of the Building Schools for the Future programme which has transformed secondary education in Burnley and part of Pendle.

"We know that applying for a school place can be daunting for some parents and that is why we provide as much help as they need, on the telephone, in person, in writing and via the web, to make the best choice for their children."

Coun Chris Thayne, executive member for children's services at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said they were constantly making improvements.

He said: "Our schools that have the highest proportion of free school meals made the most significant improvements this year and are narrowing the gap in achievement between the achievement of children from more affluent families and those from more deprived communities."