Halesowen accountants Nicklin LLP have donated £500 to help Haybridge High School and Sixth Form with their bid to further improve standards.

The school recently gained an 'outstanding' grade from Ofsted, allowing them to apply for re-designation - a second phase of specialism in their five key area including technology, applied learning, sport, training school and leading edge.

The scheme allows schools to establish distinctive identities through their chosen specialisms and achieve their targets.

They school can now apply for a £25,000 grant on the basis they can match the funding, which should include £10,000 worth of donations from local businesses and employers.

The money would be used to give a further boost to the school's facilities and to fund additional learning resources.

Nicklin LLP, who regularly support the school and contributed towards their original specialist bid in 2005, was delighted to do their bit to help the school achieve this fundraising goal.

Chris Cook, partner at Nicklin LLP, said: "We at Nicklin are pleased to provide a donation of £500 to help Haybridge School towards their re-designation.

"These pupils are the employees of the future, and the future of Halesowen. It is in the interest of businesses like ours to ensure that they lay the foundation skills they need to be successful in the world of work."

Caroline Hoddinott, headteacher at Haybridge School said: "We would like to express our sincere thanks to Nicklin LLP for their contribution to our bid for an additional redesignation grant.

"It is extremely generous to support us, particularly in such difficult economic times."