FIRMS are being asked to dig deep to help pay for a £5 million transformation at a struggling Manchester school.

Low results, poor attendance and poor behaviour have made Ducie High School an unpopular choice among parents in Moss Side.

But education chiefs hope to reverse its fortunes by re-launching it as a city academy - which would be led and managed by a consortium of businesses.

Now the council has launched a campaign to raise the £1 million of private money they will need to get the go-ahead from the Department for Education and Skills.

If the school raises the sponsorship, it will qualify for up to £4m from the government.

Already, Manchester Science Park has pledged £250,000 to the project. But the council say they want a further three or four companies to offer £200,000 or more.

Once given the go-ahead to become a city academy, Ducie would become independent from the local education authority and city bosses believe the freedoms offered by the status is the school's best chance of long-term survival.

Chief education officer David Johnston said: ''This project is about making sure young people want to be educated at a quality local school.

21st Century curriculum

''We already have substantial support from Manchester Science Park. Their level of commitment to making a difference to young people within Hulme and Moss Side means that working with other companies will give us a chance to shape a curriculum best able to meet the needs of the 21st century.''

As a city academy, the school would be run by a board of governors made up of sponsors and representatives from the local education authority.

With far greater levels of independence, they would be able to vary opening hours, staffing contracts, budgeting and even the emphasis of the curriculum.

They would also be able to tailor provision to the needs of the surrounding business community and the needs of the pupils.

Sir Bruce Liddington, who successfully launched the Capital City Academy in Brent, has already talked to potential sponsors.

He is convinced that business sponsorship as part of a city academy will make the necessary difference to the struggling school.

''It is the most exciting and real opportunity that Ducie has of becoming a successful school in the 21st century,'' he said.

''It will be one of the first 20 city academies in the country and this indicates the level of confidence in its potential.

Business ideas

''Businesses will bring in new ideas about how to do things in a different way. And if that doesn't work...in a different way again.

''People who work in business will be proud to be connected with the success of the school. They will feel they are contributing in a social way back into the society they live in.

''Getting sponsorship is a challenge. But the city academy programme is attracting lots of different sorts of sponsorship.''

Over the past 10 years, staff and governors at the school have struggled to make the necessary changes.

But despite some improvements, the school still has some of the poorest GCSE results in the country and the highest rates of unauthorised absence.

Chairman of Ducie governors Trevor Rees believes that the transition to city academy status and the partnership with the city's businesses will lead to success for the school.

He sees investment in a new building as a vital part of the school's regeneration.

''Getting a new building is symbolic,'' he said. ''A new building with new facilities gives the local community the message that we are serious about Ducie and not just talking about it. This is a very exciting initiative.''