It's over

St Theodore's RC High will not continue its legal action against the decision to scrap post 16 Catholic education in the boroughs as part of the huge £250million modernisation of secondary education in Burnley and Nelson.

John Entwistle, chair of governors at the Ormerod Road school, has been informed by solicitors that plans to go as far as the European Court in their quest to fight the decision were not worth the risk or expense.

The decision means education chiefs will now be able to forge ahead with the biggest schools reorganisation for a generation.

Head of the embattled sixth form Francis Swarbrick said he wanted to continue but in reality knew he could not.

He said people connected with the school were now trying to come to terms with the news.

Mr Swarbrick said: We have decided not to pursue legal action so it's the end and the sixth form will be closing.

"The best we could have done is delay things but they would still have pushed it through.

"I would have been tempted to go for it but we are talking many thousands of pounds and we cannot justify that action really."

"The staff will be divided between the other schools presumably but the staff structure has not been sorted out yet."

The unanimous decision to press ahead with the massive Building Schools for the Future programme was made in March at a meeting of Lancashire County Council's Independent Schools Organisation Committee, made up of representatives of the LEA, Church of England, Roman Catholic Salford diocese, schools and the Learning and Skills Council.

Following the announcement campaigners vowed to do everything they could to save the Catholic sixth form.

Although there will be a Catholic high school the plans include no such provision for post-16 education

Under the scheme eight new super schools replacing the existing 11 sites in Burnley and Nelson will be built with the first ones opening next year.