IT will be no surprise to any Boltonian with eyes firmly open that the district's schools figure in a massive social divide.

Yet, it has taken a damning council report to show that the town is split between children who have and those who very definitely have not.

In some schools in poor areas, up to 82 per cent of pupils qualify for free school meals, and a massive 65 per cent have special educational needs. In more affluent areas, the big percentages relate to families in full employment and owning cars.

The report is being sent to the Government, urging them not to use overall figures - like below average unemployment rates for the whole town - when judging schools or allocating cash.

They warn that, although Bolton looks like an average town, studies show that parts of it are among the most deprived in the country.

Their intervention is well-judged. It is very easy to look at generalised facts and figures and make sweeping deductions based on them. But each school differs, often radically, and such action could be downright dangerous.

Mark Twain said that there are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies and statistics, and he never spoke a truer word. An updating of this could also include school league tables. We trust that the Government takes note.

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