Early…but not so bright

A school that has allowed its pupils to start the day an hour later says it has seen absenteeism decline. At Monkseaton High School, in North Tyneside, 800 pupils aged 13-19 have started lessons at 10am since October. Early results indicates that general absence has dropped by 8% and persistent absenteeism by 27%. This has naturally provoked much high-minded scientific research into adolescent sleep patterns, biorhythms and Circadian cycles. It is apparently teenagers' biorhythms that lead them to stay up until 2am. Not, as the rest of us might think, because they hate everyone else in the house and 2am in the morning is the only time they can pretend they live by themselves. And what about the slightly older teenagers amongst us that would also like the chance to start at 10am? Hmm…I feel a Circadian cycle coming on.