THE gap in Bolton between the academic performance of poorer pupils and those from better off backgrounds is widening.

Figures show it has increased by more than three per cent in just 12 months between children gaining five or more good GCSEs, including English and maths, who are eligible for free school meals and those who are not.

Education chiefs said work was being done to narrow the gap and additional funding was being ploughed into schools to help raise achievements of the borough’s poorer pupils.

Latest figures show that last year only 35.2 per cent of children entitled to free school meals gained five or more A* to C GCSEs, including English and maths, compared to 64.7 per cent of teenagers from more well off families, up by 3.7 per cent compared to the 2010 GCSE results.

The average gap between the two groups in England, based on the 2011 exams, was 27.4 percentage points and in authorities with a similar make up to Bolton it was 31 percentage points In the 2010/11 academic year there were 591 GCSE children who were entitled to free school meals and 2,827 who were not.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “The gap between the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals and those ineligible achieving five GCSEs at Grades A*-C, including English and maths, did increase in Bolton between 2010 and 2011 as did the average national gap and the average gap of our statistical neighbours — which is wider than the Bolton gap.

“Schools in the borough, supported by the local authority, are improving their use of data to track progress and achievements at pupil level to enable support to be targeted at those who need it most.”

Schools in the more deprived parts of Bolton will now be given extra money to try and reduce the gaps.