THEY are young, gifted and in a class of their own.

As the summer holidays draw to a close and Bolton youngsters prepare for the new academic year, it has been business as usual for one group of pupils.

Mount St Joseph's School on Greenland Road, Horwich, has been a hive of activity in recent weeks as 33 special pupils have been taking part in a host of projects as part of a summer school.

The difference with this summer school is that it is for academically gifted young people and aims to give them a chance to shine.

The pupils, aged 11 to 13, were chosen for the summer school based on their outstanding Standard Assessment Test (SAT) results. They come from Mount St Joseph's feeder primary schools and from the first year of the senior school.

Funded through the Government's Excellence in Schools programme, the summer school has been pioneered by teacher Paul Gillespie who is gifted pupil co-ordinator for Mount St Joseph's.

He says it has been such a success that plans are in place for a similar venture next year.

"We asked the heads of our feeder primary schools to choose three pupils to come to the summer school and we have also taken some of the top achievers from our first year," he said.

"I believe similar summer schools take place at Rivington and Blackrod High and Little Lever, but it is a first for us.

"It is a great way to give pupils an introduction to the school before they come here full time, but it also gives them a challenge and the chance to work on areas and topics they would not usually cover in the classroom."

To show how far advanced the pupils are, Mr Gillespie and his three strong team have set them work in maths, science and English that is GCSE standard -- some of which could even go towards their final exam mark.

"In the past we have run summer schools for pupils who may have needed an extra boost with their learning, but never one for gifted children," he said.

"These children could be described as the high flyers, but they could also be described as children with special needs.

Bored

"Being academically gifted has been identified as a special need among children and it needs to be addressed.

"In the past the children who are bright and can do the work set for them with ease have been very much left to get on with it. This can quickly lead to them becoming bored and sometimes switching off.

"Here they have the chance to be challenged and use their potential, and we hope that it encourages them to take it into the classroom during term time." The children have been pondering maths and science problems and tackling high brow literature and poetry from their own perspectives.

But it is nothing if it is not fun and the children have also enjoyed a trip to the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire to learn more about marine life, and the National Football Museum in Preston as part of a history project. Mr Gillespie said one highlight was a "Ready, Steady, Cook" project where the children had to buy ingredients and prepare food for a slap up feast.

"It was fun, but it also taught the children about such things as teamwork, money management and other life skills," he said.

All those who attended the summer school received a special certificate at a closing ceremony on Friday.

"It has been a huge success," said Mr Gillespie. "The certificate is not just a piece of paper, but a real achievement which I am sure any future employer would be impressed with." 'A challenge, but it has been good' WHAT do the gifted young people think about giving up their free time to go back to school?

Christopher Simm, aged 11, of Our Lady of Lourdes primary school, described it as a "privilege".

"It has been a good experience and I feel lucky to have been chosen," he said. "I could not believe I had been picked at first.

"We have learnt a lot of things and it has also been good fun. There should be a lot more summer schools."

Fellow pupil Owen Mullarkey, also 11, said: "The Maths and Science has been very interesting. Some of it has been quite hard and a bit of a challenge but it has been good.

"It has also been good to meet and make friends with children from other schools."

Danielle Sharples, from Ss Peter and Paul primary school, says she will take a lot away from the school.

"I will be coming to Mount St Joseph's and now I have plenty of new friends I can meet up with. It is nice to be part of a school for the gifted, but I don't really see myself as being gifted or brighter than anyone else. I just enjoy learning."