A school has revealed £3million plans for a prestigious sports academy as part of a package to remove it from the Government's special measures list.

The Thorpe Bay School in Southend wants to build a £1.8million cycle track to become a regional centre of excellence for British cycling.

Brian Clark, chairman of governors at the Thorpe Bay School, said the ambitious blueprint could mark the start of a dramatic turnaround in the school's fortunes.

He said: "The whole thing is part of a package to start a new chapter for the school and move it on to being very successful.

"We want this to be the first step in our long term vision of turning the school into a specialist status sports academy, which could bring even more facilities and will give the children the best opportunities."

The school, in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend, already has planning permission to build new teaching facilities, a gym and an all weather sports pitch.

Jean Alder, headteacher at the school, said the long term plans showed the school was moving on to exciting times.