GOVERNORS at a crisis-hit school are to take their fight to the Government over the decision to strip it of prestigious technology college status.

The governing body at Mansfield High, Brierfield, decided to take its case to Education Secretary David Blunkett during a meeting last night at the school.

On Friday it was announced that the Department of Education and Employment would strip the 1,200-pupil school of technology college status just 12 months after it took on the title. As a result county education bosses decided to step in and take control of the school's finances from the governors.

Chairman of governors, Shelagh Derwent, said: "We are going to make representations to the Secretary of State for Education and to the county council regarding technology college status and the financial control issue. We want to be as positive as possible.

"The governors are not privy to the detail of the withdrawal of technology college status. No opportunity was given to us before the decision was made to make representations. There was no proper consultation with the school or the governors." Mrs Derwent said the withdrawal of the technology college status would affect school finances but governors were confident the school could cope.

"The governors had no way of knowing technology college status would be removed so they couldn't foresee there would be financial problems in the next two years," she explained.

"It looks tight but on paper we feel it will just about even out next year. We've got the new buildings with the technology money and the new equipment and that's there. No-one can take that away.

"We were already well ahead as a centre for technology before we got the status. It was just the icing on the cake."

Mrs Derwent stressed the school's problems would not affect the quality of education given to pupils.

The county council will take over responsibility for the school's finances on July 10 and technology college status will be withdrawn from August 31.

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