A TWO-week summer school aims to help local children prepare for their September move to high school.

St Helens Council is once again supporting the annual New Horizons Summer Literacy School at which pupils who have not yet reached the national average in English are being offered up to 50 hours of tuition.

The first week will begin on August 10, with a second week following on August 24. St Cuthbert's RC Community High and Parr Community High schools will host the event.

The scheme is much more than just two extra weeks at school. Tuition uses imaginative and creative teaching methods to help make the learning process interesting with workshops involving drama, information technology and the arts.

New Horizons is the result of co-operation from all areas of education in St Helens.

Councillor John Fletcher, chairman of Education, said: "It is vital that we are able to provide our primary school pupils with the best possible support in preparing for the move to secondary school."

And Anne Witt, senior secondary adviser, added: "It is hoped that the project will not be the only one of its kind and the council is aiming to work closely with St Helens Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise to support these children."

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