THE closure of Frodsham High School is now just months away – and praise for the achievements of pupils and staff keep on coming.

Under Cheshire County Council’s Transforming Learning in the Community programme – aimed at tackling the problem of reduced numbers of pupils in schools throughout Cheshire. The authority has ordered Frodsham High must close in July next year, when pupils will be transferred to Helsby High School.

But despite facing the axe, Frodsham High continues to go from strength to strength. Acting headteacher, Anna Cooper, said national education chiefs were “shocked” about the impending closure when they presented her with yet another national award in recognition of the school’s high standards.

Frodsham High school operates as a science and technology college, and this latest tribute was a RATL (Raising Achievement and Transforming Learning) Award for being among the country’s top 10 specialist schools for sustained improvement in the number of pupils achieving 5 A*-C grades in GCSE over the last five years.

Mrs Cooper attended an awards ceremony this month at London’s Cafe Royal, where the prize was presented to her by Sue Hackman, chief adviser on schools standards, and Sir James Hill, chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Mrs Cooper said: “I’m delighted that, yet again, our school has been recognised as one of the top schools in the country. Our staff and students aim very high and constantly achieve these aims.”

Since Mrs Cooper took charge of Frodsham High five years ago, the school’s high standards have been recognised with a series of national awards for Improvement, Sustained Improvement and Outstanding Performance.

It’s work with industry and apprenticeship schemes has been praised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and it is one of only five non-sport specialist schools in Cheshire to receive a Sportsmark Award.

In preparation for the closure, Frodsham High is no longer receiving pupils and there are now just 240 on roll who Mrs Cooper said were supported by “dedicated teachers”.

She said: “We are doing all the things the Government wants and people just can’t understand why the dedication and expertise of the staff who created all this isn’t being used.

“It is very wrong, but there appears to be no back-tracking.”