CONTROVERSIAL plans to transform Smithills School into an academy will definitely go ahead after governors voted in favour of the move.

The change will take place despite a huge protest by teachers, parents and unions, who drummed up a petition with hundreds of signatures calling for governors to reject the plan.

Governors voted this morning, Friday.

The school will now become a publicly funded independent school, free from local authority control, and run by ConcertEd, a team of educational consultants.

Headteacher Alec Cottrill said that views expressed through the consultation process had been considered by governors, and pointed to the fact that just over 77 per cent of staff had voted in favour of the school becoming an academy, with 8.95 saying no, and the rest ticking the “I don’t know” box on the secret ballot form.

The school hopes to become an academy by September 1st.

Mr Cottrill said: “I want the school to be outstanding by 2016 and becoming an academy will allow us to accelerate progress.

“The school will start a new relationship with ConcertEd and use their experience to improve the school further.

“We are on a journey and the school has shown great improvement and we have taken on board what Ofsted has said.”