TENBURY High School has missed out on its first-time bid for Special School Status.

Headteacher Stuart Cooke has admitted he's 'knocked back' by the decision, but insists that he and his team will try again in October.

"The guidelines were unclear and we appear to have been caught between two stones," he explained.

"Academically, we had to set ourselves a wide range of targets and some of them were considered by the DfES to be too demanding and felt we had been too tough in the target setting process.

"From the community aspect of our application, we were not sufficiently precise on what the school hoped to achieve in partnership with the community.

"However, we are clear about what needs to be done in order to put together a successful application next time."

Despite the collective disappointment, the school is optimistic that the second attempt will herald the start of a new era for the high school.

Thanking everyone involved for their continued support, Mr Cooke said: "The good news is that our biggest obstacle - raising the initial cash - is out of the way, thanks to the town's generous response to our appeal.

"All we need to do is to put the finishing touches to our new application leading to much improved facilities and resources for the future."