GEORGE Tomlinson School will become known as Kearsley Academy, it has been revealed.

Pupils have chosen the name and are now in the process of creating a new brand and image for it.

George Tomlinson will close in September, and reopen as a publicly funded independent school, sponsored by Northern Education, which is currently recruiting for a new principal.

Bolton Council is also a co-sponsor.

Director of operations at Northern Education — which was set up in Bradford but is now based in Newcastle — Peter Parish said he was confident the new academy would raise educational standards among young people living in the area.

He said: “Everything is going to plan with the academy opening in September.

“The young people have met with Northern Education to discuss new names for the academy.

“It was important for the young people to be involved in the new academy because they are the stakeholders and are critical to its success.”

Details of the new uniform, which pupils have already had a hand in designing, are now being finalised.

And Northern Education is drawing up designs for a new campus.

By 2013, a new building will be developed on the George Tomlinson site, including a new sixth form college.

It is the post-16 provision that Mr Parish says will be key to raising standards in the area.

The school is currently one of the poorest performing in Bolton.

He said: “This will allow a smooth transition from school to sixth form.

“I think people in the area would welcome a site where young people can be taught through from 11 to 19-yearsold.

“The academy is also linked to the University of Bolton, which will give young people access to resources, but I also think it will raise young people’s aspirations and encourage them to go into higher education, which will raise standards in the area.”

● The update on the plans were revealed as the new coalition Government announced that 1,114 schools nationwide have applied to become academies, under the new Academies Bill, which allow schools to opt of local authority control.

The local education authority said it knows of no schools in Bolton that have as yet applied to become a new academy.