A special school has lost a long battle to keep its girls only status.

Staff, parents and governors fought for five years against Kent County Council plans to turn Broomhill Bank Special School, Tunbridge Wells, into a mixed school.

Independent adjudicator Alan Parker has ruled that the school at Broomhill Road will become a co-educational day school for 80 boys and girls aged five to 19.

The changes, however, will not begin until adaptation works have been completed, with no boys being admitted until September 2009.

The school, which currently takes pupils with communication and interaction needs, will also cater for students with austistic and language disorders in future.

KCC also wanted to scrap Broomhill Bank residential units, but Mr Parker said the school could keep its residential facilities, although it will lose its formal designation as a residential special school.

Mark Holder , chairman of the governors, said: “We regret the loss of single sex provision and strongly believe that the decision to appeal against the original proposal was justified. We are now working closely with the local authority to plan the next steps.”