Darlington's local education authority (LEA) is to face an in spection by the Government's Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) next year.
Sixteen LEAs covering inner cities, suburbs and rural areas in the country face inspections in the 2001 spring term.
After mainly critical reports on about half of all LEAs in England, officials will be aware of the challenge they face.
Ofsted chief Chris Woodhead said: "Ofsted has now inspected well over half of all 150 LEAs and our findings so far reveal great discrepancies in the ways LEAs perform their statutory duty to promote high standards in schools."
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