Dozens of boys at St Ambrose College, Hale Barns, are taking part in lessons delivered on computer screens. Work is then "handed in" to teachers as e-mails.
The paper-free lessons have been launched in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) department. Now it is hoped the scheme will be extended so that English essays and maths will also be marked online.
Head Michael Thompson says it is part of the school's drive to become a "school without walls" - where education goes on far longer than the end of the school day.
"The pupils think it's wonderful. They think there is something exciting about e-mailing in their homework. Sometimes pupils are sending in their homework half an hour after they get home. It's more direct and they get an immediate response to things. And the boys are so IT-literate.
"We have this vision of a school without walls. The internet and the e-mail allows us to do that. It actually extends the working hours of the school."
Mr Thompson said the school decided to launch the scheme after discovering that all the pupils had access to a computer and e-mail at home. And he is keen to widen the scheme across other areas of the school. Already senior managers have replaced paper memos and reports with e-mails.
He said: "This will cut down on paper. But I can't see us ever being paperless or having a library without any books."
Peter Mayland, head of the school's ICT department, says that as well as being popular with the youngsters, the move towards IT is helping youngsters to learn more effectively.
He said: "Obviously it allows us to work more quickly and cover more of the curriculum. It is far more flexible for both teachers and pupils and allows us to be more creative and challenging in the choice of work we set.
"But perhaps most importantly, it is in itself a constructive use of ICT, giving pupils more confidence to use the tools of the subject."
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It may be a good idea but we do also need to encourage handwriting. Have you seen the handwriting of some 12 - 15 years olds of today. It is appalling and this is simply because they type almost everything. They don't write letters they text or e-mail and now they won;t have to even write their school work.
i have it on good authority that there will be a futher move which includes teaching as many as four classes using only one teacher using computers. what will be next... no schools .. only distance learning.
money saving
all this concern over paper, recycling and rainforests can be instantly eradicated by using fast growing plants, that reap 4 times as much paper than trees and only require a third of the ground. if i say the word will this be edited hmmmmHEMP!
We were supposed to be going paperless years ago. But with legal documents to sign, appraisals to discuss and sign, a wealth of new Government legislation etc etc we end up putting all the info on computer and then having to print it off.
It'll never happen
Oh dear, I recall all the excitement back in the 80's when the 'paperless office' came along. Soon we were knee-deep in paper, because having typed something on the keyboard, everyone wanted a real printout to look at, and everyone wanted a copy and...
before long we were ordering about ten times the amount of paper we used to use. Perhaps it's a generation thing which will reduce as the years go by, but we like reading from paper, not a monitor.