A SCHOOL which struggled to attract pupils three years ago is now turning them away.

The Thomas Alleyne School in Stevenage, which intends to convert to an academy in September, has just received news that it is over subscribed for Year 7.

A total of 180 students will be joining the school in September, with a number of families intending to appeal for a place at the school. This is in stark contrast to 2010, when there were only 42 families which selected The Thomas Alleyne as their first preference.

Headteacher Mark Lewis, who has been leading the school since April last year, is delighted with the dramatic increase. He said: “We are thrilled that families across Stevenage are deciding to send their children to Thomas Alleyne.

“We are excited about the rapid improvements that are taking place in all aspects of our work and look forward to seeing our students learn and achieve during their time with us.

“We pride ourselves on being a family school – the staff work hard to support every individual student and we build positive relationships with the families that join our community.”

He believes the dramatic increase is the result of improved communication with parents, an active Parent Teacher Association and improved quality of teaching.

The school will be sponsored by North Hertfordshire College when it converts to an academy in September. Mr Lewis said: “We are a small school but will now be able to offer big opportunities. We approached the college as a sponsor and this will give our post 16 students a huge breadth of curriculum.”