THE council looks set to drop unpopular plans to close Thorpe Bay High School, which has been in special measures for six years.

The education department has done a U-turn and is now considering plans drafted by Thorpe Bay School to reopen itself as two new schools on the same site - one as a lower school and the other as a vocational college.

It had planned to close the failing school, which boasts a new £3million teaching block, and "disperse" its pupils to other neighbouring secondary schools including Prittlewell Technology College, which is also on the failing list.

It is hoped the new college could run in conjunction with Prospects College and would take pupils up to the age of 18, while Thorpe Bay currently only educates pupils to the age of 16.

There were 458 responses to the public consultation about its plans, 357 of which were against the proposals to close the school, which has been in special measures longer than any other school in the country.

Published Friday, November 11, 2005