CHURCH officials last night told of their delight at securing a sponsorship deal for a city academy in Darlington.

The Church of England was confirmed as the sponsor for the £25m project, which is intended to bring together the successful Hurworth School and embattled Eastbourne Comprehensive.

But parents fighting to keep Hurworth School in its village location said the move had no bearing on their campaign.

Darlington Borough Council announced its hopes of merging the schools in an academy in the town's Yarm Road earlier this year.

The idea was rejected by Hurworth governors, who voted instead to seek foundation status and keep the school where it is.

The issue descended into chaos last week when the acting headteacher of Eastbourne, Eamonn Farrar, unveiled plans in which his own school would close and Hurworth would expand to accommodate 900 pupils, including 300 from Eastbourne.

Council leader John Williams branded the proposals "educational cleansing by social class" and said they would not see the light of day.

Mr Farrar stepped down from his position on Tuesday and has returned to his previous post as Hurworth headteacher.

But yesterday, council bosses were determined to pursue the academy route - and said that they were delighted to reveal the Church of England as its sponsor.

Chief executive Ada Burns said: "The church is bringing a lot of pedigree of providing excellent education and bringing an ethos which is sympathetic and consistent with the council's vision."

Information sessions will be held before the matter goes out to public consultation.

The Reverend Sheila Bamber, education director for the Durham diocese, said: "We were absolutely thrilled to be asked if we would consider being a partner in this.

"The academy project is exciting, not just for the area in which it is located, but for the wider borough."