Henbury School is proud of its art department

If Henbury School is successful, it will help complete the council's aim of all secondary schools becoming specialist schools by 2008.

Henbury has just re-opened after being completely rebuilt under a �17m private finance initiative.

Head teacher Clare Bradford said: "Specialist status allows you to grow the department more."

Schools wanting specialist status have to raise �50,000 in sponsorship themselves and meet certain criteria; in return they get extra funding.

The school has four wings around a central atrium

There are currently 13 specialist secondary schools in the city.

Only Fairfield, Withywood Community School and St Thomas More have not applied, with the latter closing in July.

Fairfield is currently moving to the St Thomas More site and is expected to apply next autumn.

Withywood is set to become one of three academy schools in the city. They automatically take specialist status.

Bristol is part of the national Excellence in Cities Partnership scheme, a �9m programme bringing head teachers and the council together to improve standards.

Peter Scholey, co-ordinator for the scheme, said there was a strategy for all state secondary schools in Bristol to be specialist by 2008.

"Specialist schools bring added diversity, he said.

"They allow us to tap into teachers' expertise and help target improvement and achievement in schools."

The North Bristol Institute in Redland, expected to fully open in 2007, will develop a science specialism, according to the city council.