PRIMARY school children will be attending classes at 1am if one Stockport headteacher gets his way.

Tim Buckley wants pupils at Tithe Barn school, Heaton Moor, to experience different time zones from around the world.

He is planning to host sleepovers, like the trial one pictured above, in the school hall and wake the children in the early hours to watch videos of youngsters in Australia.

Mr Buckley said: "If the kids can experience the different time zones for themselves, it is better than just teaching them about it from books. It becomes real and they are more likely to remember it."

Excited

The sleepover scheme is all part of a global education programme for the 239 children.

Each year group is named after a continent and each class is encouraged to correspond with a school in the continent - including Antarctica.

Tithe Barn School has a '200,000 global citizenship centre, complete with computer suite, which allows the children to communicate with youngsters around the world.

It was opened by Fannie Sebolela, head of a school in Khensani, South Africa.

With the help of international companies, Mr Buckley is working on a project to create a similar facility in the township.

"We benefit in lots of ways by having links with schools around the world.

"The children are really excited about it. They communicate about issues that impact on their lives. While a child here worries about vandalism, a child in South Africa is concerned about pollution."

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