Department for Children, Schools and Families reveal more Halton pupils on Government Gifted and Talented list than last year

Jul 22 2009 by Adrian Short, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

CONCERTED efforts to unearth the best and brightest pupils in the borough are starting to bear fruit, education chiefs claim.

Figures released by the Department for Children, Schools and Families have revealed a rise in the number of “Gifted and Talented” pupils in Halton.

The Government’s Gifted and Talented list contains pupils who have academic or practical abilities “significantly” more advanced than their peers.

The Weekly News revealed in February last year how the borough had the third lowest number of primary school children on the list in the whole country, with only 1.5% making the grade in 2007 - compared to a North West average of 7.3%.

The figures also revealed an alarming slide in the number of secondary school pupils on the list, with 11.5% identified compared to 12.4% in 2006.

However, the latest figures have revealed a marked improvement, with 5.3% of primary and 14.4% of secondary pupils making the grade in 2008.

Halton now has the fourth highest percentage of secondary school children on the list in the North West, but conversely, also has the fifth lowest percentage at primary level.