A BENEFACTOR has stepped in at the 11th hour to help a school bid for specialist status.

The Newlands Catholic School in Middlesbrough has applied for specialist science college status.

Pupils, parents and staff had worked hard to raise money to make the bid, but had only managed to raise half the £50,000 needed, through sponsored events and stunts.

Then last Friday, the Reed Educational Trust stepped in with the balance and the bid was sent to the Department for Education and Skills yesterday.

If the bid is successful, the special status will transform the school.

Money released by the new status will allow the school to build chemistry and biology laboratories, an e-learning block for computer and multi- media learning, which would be open to the local community.

Headteacher Christine Wright said: "We think we have a good bid, but the big obstacle was money. Until almost the last moment we were only half-way there with the funding.''

The school, in Saltersgill Avenue, expects the bid application to be followed up by a visit from a schools inspector before a decision in January or early February.

"This would be of tremendous benefit for the school and is tremendously exciting," said Mrs Wright.

She said the school was looking forward to working closely with the Reed Educational Trust whose ethos is teamwork, developing enterprise skills and co-operation across the curriculum.