EDUCATION secretary David Blunkett told a Halton schoolteacher this week: "You've made my day!"

The minister said he was delighted to hear about the success of an integrated summer school co-ordinated by Chesnut Lodge teacher Tom Cassidy.

It was the only one of its kind in the country which brought together a dozen pupils from a mainstream primary school with 12 physically disabled pupils.

Head of middle school Tom Cassidy gave a presentation at Halton British Legion this week as 400 Department of Education staff from Runcorn DEP gathered to meet David Blunkett.

"He was very impressed to hear all about our successful summer school," said Tom Cassidy.

"He said when he first introduced the concept, a lot of people said it wouldn't work - pupils wouldn't want to go to school in the summer holidays, staff wouldn't want to work and parents wouldn't want to send their children.

"Yet, when I gave him examples and explained how all the children had benefited enormously, he was extremely interested.

"He told me I had made his day!"

A dozen pupils from Simms Cross primary school spent a fortnight with 10 and 11-year-olds at Chesnut Lodge.

They studied an intensive literacy course every morning and went on cultural and historic trips in the afternoon.

The children were thrilled to bits to be able to fax messages to staff at the Department of Employment "David Blunkett was very pleased to hear about how the DFE staff had become so involved with this project.

"He has asked them to make a video about their work with the local community. They said they may possibly come and do some filming at our school."

It is exactly a year since David Blunkett pledged to visit DFE staff at their four HQ sites throughout the country.

"This was one of a series of visits to staff at every site," said government organiser Gavin Liddle. "It is a chance for him to speak to staff and hold a question and answer session.

"No-one else has ever done this before. It is a chance for every member of staff to meet him."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.