§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his initiatives to develop the potential of above-average ability children, with particular reference to Sefton. [98602]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe Government are encouraging all schools to meet the needs of able pupils by adopting strategies such as setting, target-grouping, fast-tracking and accelerated learning. The initial phase of our national strategy to improve the education of gifted and talented children is concentrated mainly in areas targeted by the Excellence in Cities initiative. Some aspects of the gifted and talented strand of Excellence in Cities, notably world class tests and guidance on the literacy and numeracy strategies, have a national focus. We expect all areas to benefit eventually from the innovation and good practice emerging from the target cities. All local education authorities, including Sefton, can use Standards Fund grants to address the needs of able pupils where the definitions of eligible expenditure allow. We will announce further national initiatives shortly.