Last updated 20:25, Friday, 08 February 2008

A GIFTED PUPIL from Bridekirk Dovenby School is being taught science online by a teacher in London because he is too clever for the school’s lessons.

Alex Chaudhri, 11, started asking his teacher, Fiona Taylor, questions that she could not answer, so she started looking up the answers on the internet for him.

When Ian Nairn, the founder and technical director of e-learning service, Taecanet, came to give a presentation to Cockermouth primary schools, he suggested to Mrs Taylor that Alex should try a project that he is working on called Elluminate.

Between them, they created a virtual classroom and invited a secondary school teacher, Mrs Large, from a school in London, to teach Alex remotely.

Every Monday, Alex has a special science lesson in his Elluminate virtual classroom, where he logs on and links up to Mrs Large using a webcam, microphone and headphones.

Alex is doing work that year nine and 10 secondary school children are doing.

Mrs Taylor said: “Alex is gifted and talented particularly in science, because he is in a year six class to deliver year nine and 10 work is quite challenging.

“He asked during lessons all sorts of really searching questions. He is so interested in it. I think it is a really good way of catering for someone whose needs are different.”