Brightest 700,000 pupils to attend university summer schools

Academic high-fliers will be invited to study subjects as diverse as maths, creative writing and magic.

The £3.6 million scheme is part of a Government effort to counter concerns that bright pupils are not being challenged in the state sector.

The classes will be open to youngsters who have been designated "gifted and talented" because they are in the top 10 per cent of their school year.

Up to 3,000 places on day or residential courses will be available this summer at more than 20 universities around the country.

There are concerns that many able children will miss out on the chance to get on the scheme.

The latest official figures reveal that 693,570 primary and secondary students have been identified as gifted.

But Ofsted inspectors have reported that some teachers are reluctant to identify talented children because they see the scheme as "elitist" and unfair to less able children. As many as one in five secondary schools are still not taking part.

The university summer classes will be mainly aimed at secondary pupils - although some institutions may make provision for younger children.

They will be provided by a network of universities led by nine 'hub' institutions - including Cambridge, Nottingham, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester and Durham.

Dr Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge, said the initiative would allow children to experience "high quality learning" and give them a taste of university life.

Cambridge University and the University of East Anglia are jointly running a ten-day nonresidential summer school in creative writing.

Meanwhile, London universities are offering a course which uses magic and conjuring to explain concepts in computer science. More than 1,000 residential places are available this summer through the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth based at Warwick University.

But Warwick will stop hosting the academy this summer and other institutions are being invited to bid to take it over.

It is unclear how much the courses will cost, but the Department for Education and Skills said 10 per cent of places would be provided free, with all further places subsidised.

Teenagers are being offered lessons in table manners and social graces in an effort bid to combat falling standards, it emerged.

The £850 course at Cambridge University includes directions on how to use a knife and fork as well as tuition on other skills such as using a washing machine.

Unruly youngsters are also being coaxed away from bad habits such as eating with their mouths open, licking their fingers and using their hands to eat.

A top London butler is among those employed to get 16 to 18-year-olds "ready for the transition into adulthood" through the four-day courses.