THE paperwork is in place for a school that battled back from being closed to become an academy.

The Deanes School, in Daws Heath Road, Thundersley, was ear marked for closure by Essex County Council in 2013 due to the council claiming it was suffering with declining pupil numbers.

However, in 2014 the Government overturned the council’s decision to close the school after a huge campaign.

Deputy headteacher Lisa Stroud says the school is now on track to become an academy on Saturday, joining the Challenger Multi-Academy Trust.

The school completed all the paperwork, which usually takes eight months, in a record-breaking three weeks.

Mrs Stroud said: “From the outset, the advice from the union was the community would save the school.

“We had to get support from the community and local residents.

“The Echo was instrumental in keeping the community spirit alive. We are now at the stage that we are becoming an academy, meaning we will be out of the control of Essex County Council.

“Becoming an academy will be the icing on the cake.

“This is the end of the fight to save the school.”

Mrs Stroud said the school and acting headteacher Desi McKeown had worked hard to find a trust that matched the priorities of the school to develop not just the children academically, but as a whole.

She said that pupils will not notice the transition to being an academy in the short-term but the school would benefit in the future by becoming an academy.

She added the pupils will be given extra opportunities due to the school being part of the academy trust, including a skiing trip and holiday to Croatia for half the money the school would currently pay.

Mrs Stroud added: “It wouldn’t just be the experience of going on the trip the children would get, they would help in the planning and doing the risk assessment too.

“We are hoping to introduce the Deanes School diploma which will reward children for their planning, determination, perseverance and teamwork skills.

“That will really help the students because if they are at an interview against someone with the same grades, they will be able to show that they have something different.

“It will help the pupils who might not get the grades and also those who are academically bright.”

She added that staff will also get extra support once the school has joined the academy trust as well.

The Challenger Multi-Academy Trust is based in Bedfordshire where it controls a number of schools.It is now looking to expand to Essex, with the Deanes School its first in the county.