SMITHILLS School is to break away from local authority control and become a publicly funded independent school.

The governing body has voted for Smithills to become an academy.

Headteacher Alec Cottrill said the move would accelerate performance and make the school “outstanding”.

Unions representing teachers and other staff staged a campaign against the move. It gained support from hundreds of people.

Mr Cottrill said that views expressed through the consultation process had been considered by governors.

He added that just over 77 per cent of staff had voted in favour of the school becoming an academy with just less than nine per cent voting no and the rest ticking the “I don’t know” on the secret ballot form.

The school will break away from the local authority and be sponsored by ConcertEd, a team of educational specialists, who work in schools to raise achievement, and hopes to become an academy by September 1.

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.

He believes without the support of the sponsors progress would be slower.

Mr Cottrill added: “I am excited, the school will have greater budgetary freedoms to provide the best value services for our children.”

The headteacher insisted the admissions process would not change nor would the curriculum, which he said has already moved away from a broadly vocational curriculum to strong focus on academic subjects.

ConcertEd added it was not interested in changing the school but being an educational support partner.

Ian Boneham, a former headteacher and assistant director of a local authority, will be helping the school raise achievement.

Mr Boneham, a director at ConcertEd, said: “This is about evolution rather than revolution — changes for changes sake do not work.

“I am here to provide support, the headteacher is up to the job I am here to support him and in any challenges the school has.

“I will not disappear when the school is good as I would have done when working a local authority we want it to be outstanding and continue to meet the needs of what the brings.

“I am very excited about it.”

Once an academy school, the school is planning to open a sixth form which will specialise in a few subjects in which the school is strong in.