Ref. 29792-55GREENDOWN School has become one of only a handful of schools in the south west to be awarded Microsoft IT Academy status.

But now the school has a bigger goal to become a centre of excellence for maths and computing.

As of next month, the school will be one of only 10 in the region to offer special Microsoft qualifications.

And it will give staff the chance to bid for extra cash.

Besides training pupils in Microsoft packages, local companies will also be able to send staff there and adults can study for the exams at night classes.

Last summer the school pumped £380,000 into upgrading its IT facilities.

It now has a state-of-the-art network of 200 wireless laptops, and another 200 PCs in 10 computer suites.

Headteacher Steve O'Sullivan hopes to foster closer links with local businesses.

He said: "As a Microsoft Academy we will be able to build partnerships with companies throughout the area, as well as being able to offer these qualifications to students, staff and to teachers in other schools.

"The additional income generated from the training courses will be put back into the school, helping us to provide an even better education for pupils.

"Our long-term plan is to become a specialist centre for maths and computing.

"But we want to wait until we have a really good bid before we apply."

All schools are currently being encouraged to apply for specialist status.

Greendown already works with Swindon IT companies Lucent Technology and Hochtief.

The school is hoping to use IT to take education into a new era.

Pupils will be able to access work online from home, and parents will be able to view their children's exam grades and check whether homework has been done. Computers will also reduce the workload on teachers.

Mr O'Sullivan said: "The idea is to allow teachers to focus on the job of teaching children, and to cut down on administration."

Tom Dwyer, who has just started as the school's IT systems manager, said: "We have been given free Microsoft software, and can get more at a discounted rate.

"These qualifications will greatly improve the job prospects of our students."

l The school's latest Ofsted report is due to be published in the next few months, and is expected to reveal mixed results.

The inspection in February found that although 88 per cent of lessons were satisfactory or better, the remaining 12 per cent had serious weaknesses.

As a result, the school, which recently completed a £3m extension project, has been told to address the several weak areas.

Letters have been sent to parents explaining the situation.

Tamash Lal