TWO high-profile visitors were given a tour of a Burnley school to help boost its profile following a failed bid for specialist arts status.

Arts minister Estelle Morris and Lord Tony Clarke, who headed the inquiry into the riots of 2001, visited Towneley High School yesterday to see some of the arts activities on offer.

Towneley was told in a letter from schools minister David Miliband last month that their bid for specialist arts college status had been unsuccessful.

The school is now planning to submit a fresh bid later in the year and hopes the visit will raise the profile of what they have to offer.

A successful bid would bring not only the kudos of specialist status but also a grant for a capital project at the school and ongoing extra resources for each pupil.

The status would also complement the school's £1.2m city learning centre which opened last year.

The centre, which was opened by the Secretary of State for Education, Charles Clarke, in April, provides state-of-the-art IT facilities for schools and the local community and has modern performing arts facilities.

Deputy Head David Franklin said: "We were very pleased that Estelle Morris and Lord Clarke came to see us because have a great number of good things going on.

"Hopefully the visit will help raise the profile of what we are doing here.

"We are determined to get specialist status so we can offer the children the very best."

Estelle Morris also visited Mid Pennine Arts in Burnley.