BORDERLINE C grade GCSE students were paid to teach younger pupils basic maths at an East Lancashire high school, it has been revealed.

This and other creative techniques were designed to boost GCSE performance at Shuttleworth College, Padiham.

But while the exam results won’t be known until August, the schemes have won a national award in the prestigious Speaker’s School Council Awards.

Head Martin Burgess said his maths department came up with the idea to help pupils capable of a Grade C, but who were under-performing, to pass.

He said the year 11 students were given a ‘nominal fee’, secured via national funding, to become teachers to younger students two or three times a week over a number weeks before they left for study leave.

The school has been battling to improve after Ofsted put it in special measures after an inspection.

Mr Burgess said: “My staff and pupils have worked so hard since they have been in special measures that a national award doesn’t come as a great surprise.

“It is more recognition of how hard the pupils and staff work at the school.

“We paid year 11 a nominal sum to coach some of our younger kids maths.

"It gave children extra maths training and what better way to learn than to understand and teach somebody else?”

The school also teamed up Burnley airspace firm Aircelle to raise achievement in girls through outdoor activities and also ‘meaty’ maths where teachers took pupils to a restaurant and the children worked out the maths of a meal from dividing the cost to price of goods.

The students were invited to the Houses of Parliament last week as recognition to winning the award in the Learning and Teaching category.

Charlie Briggs, leader of Burnley Council, said: “If it works then let's give it a go.

"It’s a hard question whether kids should be paid but if it works it has been a success.”