EDUCATION chiefs in Darlington denied they were facing a crisis last night after a rebellion against the boss of children's services.

The Northern Echo understands teaching unions have discussed a vote of no confidence in Margaret Asquith, the director of children's services at Darlington Borough Council.

But council chiefs gave Ms Asquith their full support last night, saying she was doing a good job in difficult circumstances and insisted there was no crisis.

A report which goes before the council's lifelong learning scrutiny committee today reveals concerns about academic standards in Darlington, where school attendance rates are the tenth worst nationally, and where girls outperform boys at all levels.

Last week, The Northern Echo revealed plans to close the town's top performing comprehensive, Hurworth School, and merge it with struggling Eastbourne.

If the scheme is approved, a new school, known as Hurworth School and taking pupils from both sites, would be built on council-owned land at the top of Yarm Road, on the edge of town.

Headteachers - some of them angry at the news - were called to a meeting last Friday where the plans were outlined by Ms Asquith.

Council officials said Ms Asquith put the proposal forward after considering all options and the plan was considered the best solution for future pupils.

However, The Northern Echo has obtained a copy of a draft letter from unions to to Chris McEwan, the council's lead member for children's services - which says the partnership between schools and the local education authority has been undermined by Ms Asquith.

It was circulated for approval over the weekend by officials from the National Association of Head Teachers, the National Association of Education Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants and the Secondary Heads Association.

It says: "We have lost all faith and confidence in her leadership and ask that urgent meetings are held to resolve what we now believe is a crisis situation.

"If the situation is not successfully addressed, staff may consider removing that goodwill and co-operation that goes beyond carrying out our normal duties."

"As professionals, we would be most reluctant to take such action but feel that we would have no choice in order to draw attention to the collapse of confidence that is being experienced across the whole professional spectrum."

Paul Wildsmith, acting chief executive of Darlington council, said last night: "There is no crisis in Darlington schools, but there are issues we must deal with.

"Many of our schools are under-performing. As a result, our children are under-achieving. Headteachers also agree and are working with us to improve the situation. We have the resources to turn this around.

"We want very much to work with headteachers, schools and trade unions for the benefit of our children."

In 2004, after Ms Asquith took over the town's social services department, it received an improved score in the Commission for Social Care Inspection ratings, getting two stars out of three.

Last month, the headteacher of Eastbourne school, Karen Pemberton, was suspended after the council launched an investigation into alleged mismanagement.

A Darlington headteacher last night said that there was widespread support for the union stance, saying: "Nobody asked for this. All the headteachers want the best for their schools."