What's the key to success in exams? Well, an extra hour in bed in the morning, apart from hard work, say scientists.
An experiment, designed by three British scientists, which allows students to stay in bed for an extra hour in the same morning has boosted exam results and slashed absenteeism, The Sunday Times reported.
The scientists, led by neuroscience Professor Russell Foster of Oxford University, found that teenagers have a biological predisposition to go to bed late and get up late particularly during exam time, and may not begin to function fully until 10 am, two to four hours later than adults.
The experiment also revealed that the most difficult lessons should take place in the afternoon, when pupils will be at their most alert.
This adolescent "time shift" persists until the age of 21, after which a person's body clock starts to shift back again, until by the age of 50 they are likely to get out of bed as early as when they were young children, according to the scientists.
'Teachers will say, 'I know my kids are at their best first thing in the morning', but what's really going on is that the teachers are feeling particularly awake by 9 AM and the kids are half asleep, making the class easier to control,' Prof Foster was quoted as saying.
The experiment is currently being trialled at Monkseaton School in England.
Paul Kelley, the headmaster, said: 'The data are only preliminary but show lateness has dropped 8 per cent and long-term absence 27 per cent because of the changes to the start of the school day. Our results in maths and English are significantly improvedÂ…
'We have moved from a situation where it is absolutely intolerable for some kids to get up very early to one where they can manage to wake up and be alert for lessons at 10.'