Inner-city teachers refuse to help their 'gifted' pupils

Teachers are flouting the Government's wish to give special help to bright inner city children, a report reveals today.

And they are writing off many pupils as failures before they reach the end of primary school, education watchdog Ofsted warns.

Schools in the flagship Excellence in Cities programme are given specific grants to spend on their most "gifted and talented" pupils.

But as many as one in seven primary schools said the policy is "not conducive to equal opportunities", and spent the extra money on books and equipment for the whole school, an Ofsted report reveals. The report also found teachers in some inner city schools were keen to blame challenging behaviour and low achievement on a child's home life and had given up hope that higher standards were possible.

Ofsted said the Excellence in Cities programme is helping children in deprived urban areas break the cycle of poverty.