Thanks a million!

The school is one of the first in the country to be awarded Business and Enterprise Specialist School status and is the only one of its kind in West Sussex. The extra 1.2m will fund a wide range of business and enterprise-related activities within the school and the wider community over the next four years, from September 1.

Staff and pupils were given the good news on Tuesday morning, eight months after the school launched an appeal for the 50,000 it needed to bid for the new status. Body Shop founder Anita Roddick was a major supporter of the appeal, along with numerous businesses from the area and many individuals who also made donations.

There was even a 2,000 donation from Hollywood star Woody Harrelson, barman in the American television sitcom Cheers.

And the Gazette threw its weight behind the bid with its own Aim for the BEST (Business and Enterprise School Target) appeal.

Yesterday (Wednesday) staff and students voiced their thanks to local businesses, the Gazette and its readers and the whole community for backing the bid.

Head teacher Jayne Wilson said: "This will be one of the biggest changes in the history of the school. I am delighted to be part of the major drive in school improvement for Littlehampton. Well done to all involved."

Enterprise will now become a focus throughout the curriculum, with the development of skills such as problem solving, teamwork and communication, as well as opportunities to study a broader range of business-related subjects.

Geoff Davis, assistant head and project manager for the bid, said: "Not only is business and enterprise a specialism that will support the whole school in every area of the curriculum, it will also contribute to the wider regeneration aims of the town."

Work is expected to start early next year on a purpose-built business and enterprise centre, including six classrooms and an enterprise store selling school-related goods, and also products made by school-based businesses.