A SECONDARY school has become an academy.

Nunthorpe School, one of the highest-performing schools in the North-East, is now Nunthorpe Academy.

School leaders say there will be the potential for standards to rise farther because it will have more flexibility and freedoms, particularly with the curriculum and budgets.

Under Government policy, schools classed as successful are encouraged to convert to become academies.

Nunthorpe Academy’s principal, Debbie Clinton, said: “Nunthorpe’s conversion to academy status marks the start of an exciting new phase for our students, parents and governors.

“As an independently-minded educational institution, we were the first school in England to secure dual specialist school status in science and business enterprise, were among the first regionally to secure our own budget management and the first in the Redcar and Cleveland local authority area to secure 11 to 18 status.

“Our forward-looking stance meant that the next logical step was for us to become an academy.

“The increased autonomy which academy status gives the school should further improve our high performance and enable us to spend our increased budget more effectively in the interests of our students and their parents.

“Nunthorpe’s successful ethos will continue to be based upon a partnership between parents, students, staff and governors.”