A PIONEERING secondary school in the Cotswolds will open as an academy for the first time on Monday.

The Cotswold School, in Bourton-on-the-Water, is one of just 32 schools nationwide which have completed the process quickly enough to reopen as an academy in time for the start of the new school year.

Chairman of governors Mavis Dunrossil said achieving academy status would give the school greater flexibility to manage its own affairs.

She said its previous experience as a foundation school which was maintained by the local authority but owned its own buildings and employed its own staff, had given staff a taste what it could be like to self-govern.

Education minister Michael Gove wrote to every primary, secondary and special school in England in May, inviting them to apply for academy status.

The coalition Government moved swiftly to pass a new Bill to allow schools to opt out of local authority control and take up the offer.

Pupils starting the new term at The Cotswold School today will not notice any immediate changes, said Mrs Dunrossil.

"Our head teacher, Anne Holland, was convinced this was the thing to do and felt the time to apply was during the holidays," she said.

"When the new term starts, minds are back on the ball when you run a tight ship."

The chance to manage its own books was the biggest draw, she said.

"The bottom line is that the Government has said we won't be worse off financially.

"When times are tough we will still be able to get capital spend for things such as new buildings."

More than 2,000 schools have expressed an interest in becoming academies but just 142 will convert during this academic year.

The majority of those opening are "outstanding" schools. The Cotswold School was judged to be outstanding in every area by Ofsted following an inspection in May 2009.

Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham is still in the process of consulting over its plan to become an academy.

Head teacher Shaun Fenton said they were "cautiously optimistic" about academy status but are allowing plenty time of time for consultation feedback. It hopes to open as an academy later this month.