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U.K. plans for gifted pupils

James Meikle

London: The British Government plans to give the brightest 800,000 pupils in the country extra lessons paid for through ring-fenced funds to schools are being studied by Ministers. They believe schools are not doing enough to identify children in the top 10 per cent of the ability range and want to encourage them by expanding schemes such as weekend and summer schools at universities and out-of-hours tuition.

Ministers say the mainstream state system must prove it can stretch the most able and challenge the reputation of private and grammar schools for being better at doing so.

With the response to the scheme lukewarm, authorities involved in the existing scheme have suggested that some schools do not want to get involved in what they see as an elitist agenda, while others feel they are capable of looking after the brightest pupils on their own. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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