A STUDENT from Ellesmere Port is staying on top of her studies and keeping in touch with classmates from around the globe thanks to virtual lessons.

Lili Tetley Young and her fellow pupils from Myddelton College independent school in Denbigh, north Wales, are logging on to classes each day whether they’re in Cheshire or China thanks to the magic of the worldwide web.

It’s helping them beat the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic which has meant that teachers and pupils have to stay apart to prevent infection.

In all but a handful of cases for Myddelton College students this has meant returning home but thanks to their familiarity with the Microsoft Office 365 system the transition has been seamless.

Lili's mum, Ellesmere Port businesswoman Mary Tetley Young, is chair of Parent Voice – the school’s parent liaison group – and she has been delighted with the way the system has worked.

She said: "It means Lili has kept her routine and she is there at nine 'o' clock every morning for her first lesson and they can see the teacher and interact with the class and get instant feedback.

"It’s been really important for them because they're at crucial stages of their lives and being able to have this routine and to be in contact with their friends is really important for their mental well-being."

Her 13-year-old daughter Lili, a year nine student, added: "It’s been very good. It's kept our routine the same along with the timetable as if we were in school.

"We use the app from Microsoft and the teacher calls us, we answer and we can hear the other students so that adds the atmosphere of a classroom.

"We’ve been used to using the system at Myddelton College so it's probably given us a bit of an advantage over other schools.

"It’s also kept us all in touch with our friends so it makes life more normal when at times like these it could be really hard so we’re all happier as well."

The school currently draws pupils from across the globe including Spain, Germany, Russia, Thailand and Nigeria.