A high school in England will start a new policy for students to sleep longer in the mornings. The private Hampton Court House school is starting a 1.30 to 7pm timetable in September. It will be the only school in Britain to do this. Head teacher Guy Holloway said the new hours should help students get higher grades. He said research shows student productivity increases if they can sleep in the mornings. He added: "We want to get students into an environment where they can get quality sleep and their bodies are functioning well." He added: "It's about what works in our community."

The afternoon start is based on research by Oxford University. Researcher Dr Paul Kelley said: "You can't train your system to get up at a practical time." He said it's the same as having no control over our heartbeat and liver function. He added: "Anything you do to change the rhythmic systems of your body means your organs become desynchronised…and people get ill….There is no fixing it by giving someone an alarm clock." A student at the school welcomed the idea. He said students are tired all day, "but as soon as 10 o'clock hits, that's when we…do all our work".