Youngsters from schools on opposite sides of the English Channel are ready to hold joint lessons - in cyberspace, writes Stephen Deal.

Children from Isis Middle School, Oxford, will be able to link up with their French counterparts via the Internet.

Hewlett Packard has agreed to supply the PCs free of charge to help celebrate the tenth anniversary of twinning links between Oxford and Grenoble. Computers are already being installed at the Elisee Chatin School in France. They will be installed at Isis Middle School in May. As well as visits, links between the two schools in the past have included sending videos to each other.

Pat Arthy, deputy headteacher at Isis, said: "An example was a video of our assembly which we sent to them. Assemblies are something the schools over there don't have."

All 490 pupils, aged between nine and 13, will be involved.

Story date: Saturday 01 May

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