TWO ambitious schools initiatives are being unveiled to help gifted children and some of the most deprived pupils in Oxfordshire.

New ways of helping youngsters at the extreme ends of the state school system are addressed in separate schemes being examined by Oxfordshire County Council.

One involves introducing an innovative new programme to identify and boost opportunities for academically gifted children.

The other should see Peers Community School transformed into Oxford's first academy, under the Government scheme to lift educational performance in disadvantaged areas.

Peers School, a 1,000-pupil specialist college in Sandy Lane, was placed into special measures last year after it was found to be failing in 24 out of 25 areas.

It became the first county secondary school to face scrutiny under new-style Ofsted visits after inspectors criticised management, standards, personal development, behaviour, teaching and attendance.

The Church of England Diocese of Oxford is ready to act as the sponsor of the new academy, with a view for a possible starting date in September 2008.

The county council is now expected to make an initial approach to the Government to "submit interest" in the first stage in the process.

The council cabinet is also expected to agree in principle to the closure of Peers, if a Government feasibility study backs the idea.

Academies were first introduced in 2000 as all-ability schools, established by sponsors usually from business, faith or voluntary groups in partnership with local councils.

Almost all the 60 that now exist are located in areas of disadvantage. The only one being created in Oxfordshire is in Banbury Keith Bartley, director for children young people and families, says in a report on the proposal: "Academies have the potential to play a key part in the regeneration of communities."

With independent status, the academies are usually set up as a company with charitable status.

The proposal comes after discussion between County Hall, Peers head teacher Lorna Caldicott, and the Department for Education and Skills.

Ms Caldicott said: "This is at an early stage.

"None of the formal consultation and involvement of staff and parents has begun yet.

"Peers is presently in special measures. But we are half way through our programme of working towards getting out of special measures. We were monitored by inspectors in July, who found we have made good progress since their previous visit in March."

The Diocese of Oxford confirmed it was submitting an expression of interest to the Department for Education to explore the possibility of sponsoring an academy on the site of Peers Community College in Littlemore.

The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, who chairs the Diocesan Board of Education, said: "The possibility of sponsoring a new academy in Oxford would be a wonderful opportunity to develop our historical mission to provide the best education for all children."

Parents in Banbury earlier gave their support to plans to turn the town' s Drayton School into Oxfordshire's first academy.

Michael Waine, the county's cabinet member for schools improvement, hailed the Banbury plan as "an exciting proposal that has the potential to make a huge difference to young people living in Banbury".

Recommendations to boost the development of gifted children in state schools have come in a review by county councillors.

The education watchdog committee says County Hall should recognise the need "to regard and provide for gifted pupils in a similar way to those children who are defined as 'special needs'".

And it recommends that "advanced skills teachers" should be put into primary and secondary schools and urges that the top five per cent in every school should be stretched with "personalised" teaching programmes.