BOLTON School high flying sixth formers have been urged to innovate by an eminent expert in the field of leadership.

Professor John West-Burnham, of the International Leadership Centre at the University of Hull, also told his young audience to understand their own learning, saying comprehension was more important than merely gathering knowledge.

Prof West-Burnham was speaking as part of the school's 31st annual Marcus Tillotson lecture.

Emeritus school governor Mr Tillotson was present with wife, Daphne, for the lecture.

Prof West-Burnham pulled no punches when he hit out at what he described as the "stagnant curriculum" in today's secondary education.

"The enormous changes in society have not been matched by corresponding sweeping curriculum changes," he said. "Youngsters in schools today have timetables not greatly different from that followed by my grandfather."

It was not just knowledge that was power but understanding. He said: "The process is more important than the product.

"What is important is knowing how to process information, not acquiring it. One of our greatest problems in advancement of learning is that schools are conditioned by the nature of assessments."