A £5.5m plan to redesign a school won approval yesterday.

The money to refurbish Thornaby Academy, formerly Thornaby Community School, will come from the Government and Stockton Borough Council's planning committee unanimously agreed to the remodelling.

Some of the school's buildings, which is out of council control, will be demolished and a business and enterprise (Beta) centre built.

The Beta centre will also have space for assemblies, performances, dining and flexibile teaching areas where teachers can bring classes for lessons.

There will also be new entrances, more provision for information technology together with landscaping and further internal refurbishment - to include four learning hubs for different subjects, as well as for sixth form students.

The only remaining problem before building work can start is that bats have been found in the building. It is not clear what species of bat they are, but they could be protected.

A report by planning officer Gregory Archer said: "Natural England advises the authority that further survey effort effort is required. Further survey work has been undertaken but at the time of publication of this report Natural England are examining the proposals."

The councillors were advised to recommend approval but leave a clause making it clear that any issues raised by Natural England would be addressed at a later date. That could result in measures being incorporated in the plans to protect the bats.

Some of the buildings to be demolished were only built in the 1990s.

Students at the school had the chance to say what they liked about the school and what they wanted changed, and their ideas were taken into account in the new design.

The report added: "There is demolition and new build but this is largely about the refurbishment of the internal building.

"A n underused games area will be removed but Sports England has been consulted onthis and had no objections.

It is considered that the site could satisfactorily accommodate the proposal without any undue impact on the amenity of any adjacent neighbours."

Thornaby Academy, in Baysdale Road, opened in September 2010. Its first Oftsed report, last November, said there was a calm learning environment while improvements were being made to standards.