Oswestry’s secondary school could become one of the first in the county to get academy status.

The Marches School and Technology College revealed today it had made the decision to apply.

But headteacher Sarah Longville stressed it was only the first stage in investigating whether academy status was right for the school.

She said: “The Marches School is an ‘outstanding’ school and therefore in a good position to make the most of the opportunities academy status appears to hold. We would like to point out that we are currently still examining academy status and we are still undecided on the matter of conversion.

“The headteacher and the governing body have pledged to continue finding out the facts, to understand the implications whilst ensuring that we continue to consult with parents, students and all other stakeholders, during the process.”

Currently the vast majority of schools are funded by the local education authority — the Marches gets cash from Shropshire Council.

However academy status would see the school funded directly by central government.