Some GCSE students are to test whether starting school at 10am could help them perform better at school.

Sleeping in late is seen as a rite of passage for teenagers.

And now a new trial will examine whether deviating from traditional early start times in schools could help benefit a teenager’s school work and wellbeing.

Experts from the universities of Birmingham, Oxford and Aberdeen are recruiting schools to take part in the study. 

The trial will look at teenagers’ sleep patterns and test whether a later school start time could benefit them. 

Professor Paul Montgomery, lead researcher from the University of Birmingham, said: “We want people to be aware that sleep deprivation in adolescents is a real problem which affects their functioning, their wellbeing and even their academic performance. 

“We want to work with schools, with parents, pupils, teachers, head teachers, support staff, local education authorities and civil servants to run a number of studies to find out what the ideal starting time is, and how schools can manage this.”

The sleep study will focus on GCSE students from years 10 and 11 and the researchers are recruiting secondary schools across the UK to take part in the study.