THE public school attended by the Prime Minister and Prince William is set to take tips from a Bolton academy to help raise its academic standards.

Staff from Eton College, the country’s most prestigious school, are due to visit Essa Academy in Great Lever and potentially implement some of its best practices.

Essa’s deputy headteacher Abdul Chohan has already visited the £10,327- a-term fee paying school after being invited to explain how his academy is harnessing the latest developments in information communication technology to raise standards at a conference for private schools about using mobile technology such as iPods in class.

Essa, Bolton’s first academy school, was the first in the country to issue its pupils with iPods.

Principal Showk Badat said: “Eton College’s interest in Essa Academy vindicates our decision to use technology to empower pupils.

“Representatives from Eton are due to visit this school. Sometimes there is an element of risk when decisions are taken in school, and when schools like Eton look to do the same, it is a vindication of the decision.”

The decision to equip every child at the school with an iPod as part of £250,000 investment in technology to drive up standards in 2009 was revealed in The Bolton News and went on to make national news headlines.

Essa Academy opened at the start of 2009 on the site of Hayward School, which was one of the borough’s most poorly performing schools.

Mr Badat puts the iPod touch at the heart of the children’s success. Last summer the school celebrated its best results with 99 per cent of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades with 52 per cent including English and maths.

He said: “The iPod touch is a really motivational tool, empowering each child to explore his or her personal creativity.”

Mr Chohan said his presentation on mobile “anywhere anytime” learning was well received and the school itself has been contacted by educationalists from across the world.

The school has had 290 visits and Mr Chohan has visited places as far away as Texas to explain how technology can be used safely to promote learning.

He said: “We were the first school in the world to give our children iPod touches. At the time there were a few raised eyebrows and some people thought it was a bums on seat method from a school which at the time was doing not so well.

“To be recognised for it now gives us satisfaction that the hard work was worth it and the use of technology has proved itself and paying dividends and we are happy to support other schools.”

This September, Essa Academy will stage a conference at the Reebok Stadium to showcase its vision for 21st Century Learning.

Cllr Nick Peel, executive member for children’s services at Bolton Council, said: “This is a fantastic endorsement for Essa Academy and well deserved as the school has worked hard to drive up standards. The local authority is very pleased with the progress being made at the school.”