RADICAL plans to reinvent a Swindon school are expected to take a giant step forward tonight.

Swindon Council's Conserva-tive-dominated cabinet will authorise the chief education officer to issue statutory notices proposing the closure of Headlands School in Cricklade Road.

After 'death', the school will be reborn again in the same breath, without even a name-change, under the Government's Fresh Start Initiative.

The cabinet will confirm that the cost of this flagship rescue operation will be in the region of £1 million. Around half of this will come from the Department for Education and Skills. The Swindon LEA will have to stump up the rest.

Much of this money will go on redundancy payments because some staff will not be offered re-employment at the school.

The issue has now become so urgent that the cabinet's decision is required in advance of the Education Partnership Board meeting in Swindon on Thursday.

Swift action is being taken to prevent any further erosion of morale and before the trickle of staff leaving becomes a haemorrhage, said Coun Garry Perkins (Con, Shaw & Nine Elms), the council's lead member for education.

A "handful" of teachers have already left, Coun Perkins revealed. Although this had not left the school seriously undermanned, there was always a tendency in these situations for the best staff to leave first "because they can find jobs elsewhere easily".

Despite the difficulties, Coun Perkins believed there was every reason to be optimistic about the future of Headlands and he predicted: "We're going to see an amazing turn-around.

"First and foremost we have to implement a complete culture-change. For too long the children at this school, coming from Penhill and Pinehurst, have not been driven to fulfil their potential. Consequently, they've felt right from the start destined to failure. That is all changing.

"We're engaging parents in getting over the message that their children's education is important and we intend giving them an equal chance to succeed. Headlands is on the site of Swindon's last grammar school. It occupies a landmark of educational excellence. There's no reason whatsoever why it should not again be a beacon for the best."

A pivotal element of the rescue package is a federation arrangement with top-rated Kingsdown School in Stratton St Margaret. This will amount to the new Headlands School being "shadowed" and closely monitored by Kingsdown head teacher David Williams.

A consultation with parents, staff and governors has been completed.

An officers' report to the cabinet will reveal:

l No objections to the proposals.

l Most concern has come from teachers about their future.

l Teaching staff and parents are calling for a clearer understanding of federation status.

Coun Perkins admitted that parents were suspicious about the federation arrangement.

"They fear it's a takeover, but it's nothing of the sort," he assured.

"It's true that we, the LEA, haven't yet been able to get them on side, but I'm hoping this will be achieved if we can get over the message that this is about revival, not burial."

During the last financial year Headlands received over £400,000 more funding than any similar sized school in Swindon, yet the projected overspend was in the region of £180,000 and examination results were among the worst in the country.

New governors are being appointed and the management team is being re-structured and strengthened from top to bottom.

If this strategy, which has cross-party support, stays on course, Headlands School will start its new life next September.

Michael Litchfield