ST MARY'S Catholic High has been awarded specialist college status in computing and maths.

The Astley seat of learning -- the biggest secondary school in Wigan borough -- is the first to gain such distinction in those subjects.

Staff at the school have worked for over 18 months on their specialist bid which was submitted in October.

And following the award, head David Burnett said staff, pupils, parents and governors were delighted with the announcement.

St Mary's has a long tradition of excellence in computing and maths and forged a partnership with multi-national software giant Oracle -- second only to Microsoft in the global computing market -- to the tune of a four- year sponsorship deal worth £100,000 -- to back up the bid.

Mr Burnett said: "This success means we can plough even more resources into these two subject areas and will be able to offer such things as tailored training in mathematical methods and skills together with a wide range of computing and ICT related courses."

Schools applying for specialist status must raise £50,000 in sponsorship and this generates nine times that amount in grants. During the initial four-year lifespan of the status the school receives an extra £126 per child, per year.