PUPILS at a new academy could be elected on to its governing body and given other opportunities to make decisions on everything from school uniforms to lunchtime menus.

These are just some of the ideas for getting young people involved in helping to run the school, which is due to open in September as a replacement for Brownhills Maths and Computing College in Tunstall.

It will operate along co-operative lines, with students setting up their own social enterprises and even sharing in 'profits' by earning prizes for meeting their achievement and attendance targets.

Although 11 to 16-year-olds cannot legally become fully-fledged school governors, they can be voted in as associate governors and take on many of the same responsibilities as their adult counterparts.

The Co-operative Academy At Brownhills is one of the first schools in the Potteries to look at this option.

Andy Stanier, the current head of Brownhills and principal designate of the new academy, said: "We have already involved students in creating a document about what they think would be good to have in an academy.

"Students are also part of the stakeholder group. We want the decision-making to be from the bottom up rather than the top down."

The new school's main sponsor is Burslem-based Co-op Travel, part of the Co-operative Group, with co-sponsors Staffordshire University and Stoke-on-Trent College.

They held an open afternoon at Brownhills yesterday to invite the local community along to find out more about the plans.

Getting the community involved in academy life will be an important part of the developments. One suggestion put forward by pupils is to offer studio space to local artists.

Brownhills is currently talking to architects about whether it is possible to keep at least part of the school's existing building. If it is, this could be turned into a base for new businesses.

Work on constructing the academy's new building, which will cost around £20 million, is to begin in a year's time. Pupils and staff will continue using the old building until the new one is ready in 2013.

It could include having a performance area which doubles up as a community film theatre.

Mr Stanier said: "Young people have said they also want more sports facilities. You don't often get the chance in education to say let's start again. We will be building on our strengths."

Co-op Travel has already begun offering work placements to Brownhills travel and tourism pupils.

Mags Bradbury, national projects manager for the Co-operative Group, said: "Our sponsorship will be in kind. It's about adding value where we feel we can add value."