HEADTEACHER Jan Shadick believes that Headlands School can now push on to the next level after plans to turn it into an academy were given the green light by the School Organisation Committee.

A three-hour meeting on Wednesday night came down in favour of closing Headlands and Pinehurst Infants' and Junior schools ahead of merging them into a 0-19 academy.

The plan is subject to reaching an agreement with the Government for funding by July 31.

And Ms Shadick said that the decision to push on with the proposal would ensure that the school ended a turbulent 12-month period on a high.

Headlands began 2006 joint bottom of the national school league tables with only nine per cent of students gaining five A* to C grades - a position Ms Shadick admitted was the "lowest point of her career".

But after seeing the school move up the league tables this year, she says that those emotions have turned full circle now that the academy dream is set to become a reality.

"I have seen the lows and highs during my time at the school and last January was the lowest point of my career," she said.

"But the highs have far outweighed the lows and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else than at Headlands School.

"Some people have talked about academies being for failing schools, but we are not a failing school. We are an improving school and this partnership will make us even better."

Ms Shadick confirmed that staff at Headlands, and at both Pinehurst schools, are completely behind the proposals and that she would be joining them in transferring to the new school set-up.

She said: "The staff at Headlands have always been behind this proposal because they can see the benefits that the academy will bring.

"Change inevitably makes people feel a little bit uneasy and because this process has gone on for so long people have become concerned about it.

"But now we have made a decision we can now put those concerns to rest."

Ms Shadick has told parents that they can expect to see an improvement in curriculum now that the academy scheme has been approved and that literacy levels will be addressed as a result.

"We can offer a lot more to our students in terms of vocational qualifications as well as GCSE and A-Level giving us more flexibility.

"We don't have to follow the national curriculum. That said, the chances are we will follow it more or less.

"It means we can tailor the curriculum to meet students' needs. There is an issue with literacy and so we can make sure literacy is high on our agenda.

"At the moment we cannot do that because we have to teach the national curriculum and that means we teach all the subjects that the Government tells us to.

"We have seen great improvement over the last year and we are improving, but I feel we are likely to hit a ceiling and this academy will give us the push to get us to the next level."

She added that students and the wider community will also reap the benefits of a new school site.

"We are going to end up with a school that has state-of-the-art facilities second to none," Ms Shadick said.

"We will have interactive white boards in every classroom, top class sports facilities, art suites, dark rooms and high-tech ICT and design and technology rooms.

"These facilities will be able to be used by the community."

July is the deadline for funding

Swindon Council and United Learning Trust have until July 31 to secure Government funding for the proposed Headlands academy.

If that is arranged, Headlands and Pinehurst Infants and Juniors will officially close on August 31 and will reopen the following day under the academy banner.

The £34m academy scheme means that Swindon Council would be reimbursed £28m for the years 11 to 19 facility.

The report said that the borough will have to find £500,000 to cover the cost of borrowing the full £34m until it is reimbursed by the Government, United Learning Trust (ULT) and corporate sponsors Honda.

Building work on the new academy site at the Pinehurst People's Centre campus will start in September and the new facility is expected to be open in September 2009 where students from all three schools will merge together.

The Headlands School site would be demolished, including the new sports hall that has been recently built, and the land sold.