Please note, this is an archived story. Please check the date above.

Moston Brook High, North Manchester Girls' High, North Manchester Boys' High and St Matthew's RC High joined together for the second of the area's Gifted and Talented sessions.

The first, held last December at North Manchester girls' school, focused on languages and had pupils from the four schools producing CVs, applying for jobs and attending mock interviews in French.

The latest, on Saturday afternoon at Moston Brook, concentrated on maths and had teams of pupils from each school poring over algebra problems.

Cluster co-ordinator Denise Crosland and Ian Pickering, Maths Teacher of North Manchester High School for Girls, with John-Mark Atkinson-Ford, Simon Rogers and Matthew Pickering

Further sessions will give potential high flyers a chance to spread their wings in other areas of the curriculum using funds from the government's Excellence in Cities initiative.

Alan Braven, head of maths at Moston Brook High, was impressed by the aptitude of the youngsters who might fail to realise their potential without such intensive support.

He said: "We want to show them how relevant the subject is to our everyday lives, rather than look at maths in isolation, and show them maths can be fun.

"We're using computers, puzzles and card games to encourage them to use their skills to solve mathematical problems."

Alan Braven deals the cards for Paddy O'Mahoney, Simon Roberts, David Charlesworth and Sean Neave from Moston Brook High School

She said: "They are here because they want to be. This gives them the chance to excel in maths in an environment where they won't be laughed at by their classmates for being too clever."