PUPILS at a school on a government 'critical list' will be automatically guaranteed a place at the new Darwen Academy if the scheme goes ahead.

A meeting between council bosses and residents on the proposed closure of Darwen Moorland High School was also told current teachers would be guaranteed places after training.

The meeting was part of extensive consultations seeking views of the local community, parents, pupils, governors and teachers on the academy.

The centre will be under no obligation to teach the national curriculum but pupils will take the same national tests as other pupils.

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But residents at the meeting, whose homes in Redearth Road could make way for the project, demanded to know why the academy could not be incorporated on the current school site.

Harry Devonport, assistant education boss for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "This will not be the very exclusive academy that people think.

"Children with special needs will be top of the list and we will certainly not exclude disruptive pupils just to push results up. Exclusions will be a last resort."

Councillor Dave Hollings, executive member for education and lifelong learning, said: "The consultation will shape our proposals then ther will be a further consultation.

"We have had 11 consultation meetings and there has been very strong support for the proposed academy."

The academy, backed by a £2million donation from Capita boss Rod Aldridge, will provide 1,200 places for pupils aged between 11 and 16.

It is scheduled to open in 2007 at Moorland then stwitch to its new site at Easter 2008.