But this year the extra summer lessons, lasting a fortnight, have been extended to some of the most gifted pupils, who are being given more advanced teaching and the chance to learn alongside other high-flying pupils.

Bethan Marshall questions whether summer schools are really better than a summer break

With �4.5m funding, there are 500 schools this summer for gifted pupils aged between 10 and 14 and covering subjects including maths, science and English.

Among the more unusual schemes will be a summer school for 11 to 14 year olds at Leeds United football club for teaching teamwork and management skills.

But there have been questions from education experts over the benefits of extra tuition, with suggestions that children need a break to refresh their appetite for learning.

Bethan Marshall of King's College London says that there is little evidence that the money and time put into summer schools delivers improved results.

The Schools Minister Jacqui Smith said that this year there are 54,000 pupils attending 2,300 summer schools - the highest number since the government-backed initiative was launched three years ago.

The schemes, which are funded by �19m from the Department for Education, are having a positive impact on standards, says the minister.

"Early evaluations of summer schools carried out by my department showed significant improvements in children's mental arithmetic and gains in reading over the fortnight they attended summer school.

"Literacy and numeracy summer schools provide intensive, focused work in English or maths which is different to what pupils do in term time, and create an atmosphere where children will want to work hard and enjoy doing so.

"It is not just classroom based - summer schools also offer educational trips to nearby museums or wildlife reserves for example. Summer schools help children who are behind in literacy and numeracy to begin secondary school on a more level footing," said Ms Smith.