MORE than 30 local education authorities have turned to City of York Council for advice since its Beacon Status award in February.

Staff from the council's educational services team have had a breathless six months of Beacon Status activities to spread their success story across the nation.

This includes dealing with the queue of councils turning to the team for help and advice.

Murray Rose, the council's acting assistant director of education, said: "Thanks to our Beacon Status success and last year's excellent OFSTED inspection report, a number of local authorities, from all parts of the country, have come to us for advice which we have been able to offer on a consultancy basis.

"A key responsibility of any Beacon Status council is to share its success with other service providers. Our success in encouraging inclusion and tackling underachievement among traditionally-disadvantaged groups has led to other schools providers wanting to find out how we do it."

The council's success in tackling underachievement has included securing training, employment or ongoing education for school leavers in pupil referral units, and working with traveller children.

Mr Rose, responsible for preparing and presenting the original bid, has been leading the year-long programme, which ends next March.

Activities so far have included hosting a Beacon conference in York, the best attended Beacon event of the year nationally, and acting as advisers to the Department for Education and Skills on setting up a national network of pupil referral units.

The council is also pleased that last summer more children than ever before gained awards for their vocational training programmes.

The scheme was extended to offer opportunities to children in special schools last year and they benefited from it significantly.

Councillor Janet Looker, the council's executive member for education, said: "When we can see that traditionally-disadvantaged groups are doing better than ever before we also know that everyone in the school is benefiting from the supportive climate that has been created."

Updated: 09:57 Saturday, December 01, 2001