A South Bristol comprehensive is looking to build for the future by becoming a trust school.

Bedminster Down has been given the go-ahead by the Government to seek the new status, which will involve bringing in external partners to support the school.

Head teacher Marius Frank says the news is a massive vote of confidence in the secondary, which has more than 1,000 pupils aged 11-16.

Trust schools are run by a charitable foundation and operate in a similar way to faith-based schools.

Bristol City Council would be a partner in the Bedminster Down trust. Other potential partners are the Bristol-based educational charity Asdan, the Co-operative College and the University of the West of England.

Bedminster Down School has pioneered a number of qualifications with Asdan, to mutual benefit. The Co-operative College is keen to support a national network of schools that share a "values driven, faith neutral" ethos and a global perspective.

UWE already has strong links with Bedminster Down through the Aim Higher programme, which works to encourage more students from less well-off backgrounds to go on to higher education.

Bedminster Down is one of 93 schools that have just been given permission to join the trust schools programme.

A total of 124 trust schools are already open in England, including the first one in Bristol, the Bridge Learning Campus in Hartcliffe, an all-through school which launched this month.

Mr Frank said: "In some ways, this announcement is as good as an "outstanding" rating from Ofsted. The Department of Children, Schools and Families has given Bedminster Down a massive vote of confidence, recognising our growing strength and confidence, and endorsing our ambitious plans for the future.

"We will now actively recruit social partners who share our vision and our values, who also believe passionately that every child matters, and who will help us become simply the best school in Bristol.

"It's very early days in the process, but we have a dream team of potential trust partners lined up.

"Asdan bring a wealth of experience around curriculum, teaching and learning; the Co-operative College has a powerful model for empowering young people and their communities to develop self-reliance, independence and economic well-being, based on mutual values and respect; UWE will bring links to higher education, and we will continue to work with the local authority to access the very best extended services for our children.

"Building the Bedminster Down Trust will not be quick, and it will not be easy. But it will ensure that Bedminster Down continues to grow and thrive, remain a distinctive and high performing unit in the Bristol educational landscape, and become a first choice provider for 11-16 education in South Bristol."