I got glandular fever and I was off sick for a couple of months and I was falling behind with my studies

Michelle White, pupil

Schools which have adopted a system of online schooling say they have noticed an improvement in pupils' attainment.

A virtual classroom scheme was set up at Cornwallis School in Maidstone, Kent by a teacher who was increasingly frustrated that pupils lost interest in their studies as soon as the bell rang.

Carol Webb found that, instead of her class going home to concentrate on their schoolwork, they simply played computer games and surfed the net.

With the help of extra funding from the government, Ms Webb decided to tap into the market.

'Virtual classroom'

Using the school's website, she created a virtual classroom where pupils could download lessons from the comfort of their own bedrooms.

"The group here have all got PCs at home and I discovered that 95% had internet access and this was an opportunity to use our website and to create a virtual classroom for them," Ms Webb - who is also information technology project manager at the school - said.

We have had some very interesting questions asked, which shows that they have been struggling for help

Alistair Wells, Netherhall comprehensive

"So what I did was to create a series of web pages on which I put my lessons, homework and notes for their parents inviting them to parents evenings and saying I was looking forward to seeing them all."

The idea seems to have paid off, with GCSE results at the school improving.

The scheme has now been extended into the sixth form, where pupils are given lap tops and encouraged to do all their work online, sending in their assignments by e-mail.

Cambridge scheme

A similar scheme is running at Netherhall comprehensive in Cambridge, where at least one teacher is on duty to answer questions and set homework via the internet.

One of the school's pupils, 18-year-old Michelle White said she had already benefited.

"I got glandular fever and I was off sick for a couple of months and I was falling behind with my studies and I was quite worried about catching up.

"A teacher mentioned the site and I found there were staff on line that could help me, information on my subjects and I could send in work to get it marked - I found it really useful," Michelle said.

Embarrassing questions

Head of IT at the school, Alistair Wells, said the interaction teachers had had with pupils had been very positive.

"We have had some very interesting questions asked, which shows that they have been struggling for help.

"It might be a question they may not have asked in the classroom, it might have been a little bit too embarrassing for them but they are willing to ask it electronically," Mr Wells said.