WEST Craven High School's second bid for prestigious Technology College status has been successful, it was revealed yesterday (Thursday).

It is fantastic news for the go-ahead Barnoldswick school which will attract extra funding and resources over the first four years of the project.

Only a handful of schools and colleges nationwide are awarded the special preferential status, singled out for their existing good practice and clear vision for the future.

The new status will come into operation from September 1 this year, one of its first benefits a £100,000 cash grant from the Government to further equip the school for the 21st century.

Additional funding per pupil will be phased in over the next four years, plus cash backing from local business and industry - a commitment which has to be demonstrated before technology college status is awarded by the Government.

The award is well-earned recognition for the massive effort put in over two years by the school, its staff and pupils and the many local companies and individuals which have backed the bid.

The driving force behind it has been the school's visionary headteacher, Arnold Kuchartschuk, though he plays down his own part and instead emphasises the incredible team effort.

Nevertheless, everyone else involved in the bid will tell you that he was the powerhouse pushing it forward, his enthusiasm never diminishing, his personal belief in the school and its potential never faltering - even when the first bid failed in May last year.

That came as a huge disappointment for the school, which had struggled against a tight deadline to amass the necessary cash backing from local sponsors. It had already invested over £90,000 in a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) room, a new "electronic library" linked to the National Grid for Learning, a state-of-the-art electronic whiteboard and the appointment of an ICT co-ordinator.

All these things prepared the ground for the technology college bid, which would transform the school into a centre of excellence for science and technology. The failure of that first bid only strengthened the school's resolve to look again at how it could be improved and resubmitted.

Speaking yesterday (Thursday), as the news was released, Mr Kuchartschuk said: "We are absolutely thrilled.

"It's not just the additional funding, though that's vital. It's the recognition of what this school is capable of - that it has the ability to help young people discover and unlock the potential within themselves."

Mr Kuchartschuk praised everyone who supported the school and stuck with it after the first bid failed.

"The last time, when we weren't selected, it was a great disappointment. But the work we were doing then was laying the foundations and the plans we outlined in May were actually in operation for the children who came to the school in August.

"They were no longer proposals but actually happening at the school. We were actually operating the technology college vision and that strengthened our bid tremendously. We also built on the links with local business and industry and took them a stage further. We just couldn't have done this without the community's support."

He also stressed that the improvements in science and technology would not be at the expense of other areas of the curriculum or the school's ability to provide a rounded education. But they would greatly enhance the school's provision in a crucial area, putting it at the cutting edge of technology, and the benefits of that would be felt throughout the community.

Chairman of governors at the high school, Keith Whipp, was also quick to comment on the eagerly anticipated announcement.

"This is wonderful news for West Craven and the community at large," he said. "We are thrilled at the Government's confidence in the school. To be awarded such an honour is recognition of what it has already achieved in terms of high standards and its capability of operating as a designated centre of excellence in the 21st century."

Speaking from Westminster, Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who lives in Barnoldswick, said he was "thrilled to bits" at the news.

"The school put a lot of time and effort into its bid for technology college status and it has been rewarded for its efforts," he said.

Mr Prentice received the good news in a letter from Schools Minister Estelle Morris.

In it she wrote: "The Technology College Programme will ensure that pupils in designated technology colleges and those in nearby schools and the wider community benefit from the extended technological learning experiences they can provide. Technology colleges will be committed to raising standards in teaching and learning and strengthening awareness and ability in technology, science and mathemtics."

Mr Prentice added: "This is great news. I have told the headmaster I am delighted. This reflects well on him and his staff."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.