PUPILS and parents at a Wyre Forest high school are to learn some quick lessons in fund-raising in a race to raise £50,000 for a bid for specialist education cash.

Bewdley High School will be in with a chance of £500,000 in extra funding if it can put together a successful bid to be one of the first schools in the country earning specialist status in humanities.

But the bid rests on the school getting £50,000 from parents, pupils and businesses by the end of March - less than five months away.

"It's all or nothing," said Dale Parmenter, school governor and chairman of the new fund-raising committee.

"We will be aiming at businessmen but we are open to ideas from anyone. We need help and we need money because it's an ambitious target."

The campaign is being launched officially at the school on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Parents of the 690 pupils are invited to a meeting where ideas will be discussed.

Headteacher David Derbyshire said the school would be among the first in the country to win specialist status in the humanities subjects of English, history and citizenship.

It was only put on the subject list by the Government at the start of this term and the first round of bids is expected at the end of this month. Bewdley would be in the second round due at the end of March.

"We will be playing to the strengths of the school in these subjects," Mr Derbyshire said. "We can't afford not to apply and it will help focus our minds as we put together the bids. The extra cash would benefit all pupils, not just those interested in the humanities subjects."

The school has to draw up plans showing how the money will be used to improve resources in the core areas of the bid. It also has to show how it will benefit partner schools and the wider community.

If the bid is successful, the £500,000 would be phased over four years.