THE country's first federation of schools -pioneered in the North-East -is to come to an end a year ahead of schedule, it emerged last night.

The groundbreaking union between the Hurworth and Eastbourne comprehensive schools, in Darlington, was established in July 2003 in a £2m Government-backed scheme.

The federation came in response to Eastbourne School having special measures status imposed on it by Ofsted inspectors in 2002.

Education chiefs believed that a collaboration with top-performing Hurworth School, which has repeatedly achieved impressive GCSE results, would help Eastbourne in its revival.

The once-failing school was taken out of the special measures category in November last year after a record 33 per cent of pupils achieved at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C.

Last night, federation chief executive Eamonn Farrar confirmed that the link-up would officially come to an end on July 31 after it achieved its main objective.

He hailed the work of Eastbourne and Hurworth headteachers, Karen Pemberton and Dean Judson respectively, for the success of the project.

Mr Judson supported Eastbourne over two terms in 2003, helping to establish a mentoring system that has won national acclaim.

Staff from both schools have shared expertise, and there have been several initiatives bringing pupils together, including the creation of a joint student council.

Nearly £1m has been invested in upgrading Eastbourne School, while £750,000 has been spent on a new maths resource centre, improving technology areas and new offices at Hurworth.

Mr Farrar said: "The federation has provided an excellent example of partnership work in Darlington, leading to higher standards, and the real winners have been the pupils.

"The two schools now plan to continue their close working relationship after the formal ending of the federation."

Mr Farrar will continue to be based at Hurworth, with a new role supporting other schools in the borough being agreed with the education authority.

The federation had its critics, particularly in Hurworth, where there were fears that academic standards could be affected.

Councillor Rod Burtt, ward councillor for the village, said he had been uneasy about the federation and still had questions about the cost of the initiative.

He said: "I would still like to know all the information about this matter."

But Chris McEwan, the borough council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "We wanted to make sure the project added value to both schools and, with Eastbourne's superb improvement and Hurworth's record-breaking GCSE results, we believe it has achieved that target."