STAFF at the troubled Deane School are re-applying for their own jobs this month in preparation for the school's fresh start in September.

All 78 members of staff at the Deane School, including the headteacher Tony Hill, are having to submit job applications this month.

In September the Deane School will close and immediately re-open with a new name and will work in collaboration with the successful Rivington and Blackrod High School.

When the school is relaunched, it will have a new staff system based on new ways of managing the curriculum -- which will involve current job descriptions being redefined.

All the staff are expected to be offered jobs, although they may have slightly different roles under the new regime.

But staff at the school are worried about having to re-apply for their jobs. Bolton National Union of Teachers representative Barry Conway said teachers were "anxious" about the job applications.

He said: "The staff at the school are incredibly good teachers, many of whom are long standing teachers who have proven their worth many times over and it's inappropriate that they are being made to jump through hoops like this."

School governor Cllr Barbara Ronson said: "There are as many jobs as there are people. I do not think there will be any job losses. As far as I am aware, every member of staff will have something to apply for, although some of the jobs might be slightly different to how they are now."

Cllr Mrs Ronson said there are advanced skills teachers in both schools with specialist expertise and there are plans for there to be an exchange of such expertise.

She stressed that teachers from Rivington and Blackrod will not be moved to the Deane as there are currently enough teachers to support the Horwich school.

The selection process and interviews will take place over this month and February.

In 2001 the Deane School was placed in special measures after Ofsted Inspectors reported that it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education to its pupils.

Plans to relaunch the school have been drawn up because the school, while having made some progress, has failed to improve enough to come out of special measures.

Cllr Mrs Ronson said: "We want to build on all that is good at the Deane and take it forward in a positive manner."