IT is enough to make even the most committed teacher shudder: "Wake up, sir, it's one o'clock in the morning but I need the answer to my maths homework!"

Nevertheless, it is practically a reality with the latest technology to hit education.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised but, after 24-hour supermarkets, open-all-hours pubs and always-available banking, the time has come for 24/7 teaching.

It all means that the distinction between the school day and evening homework is becoming blurred. A new system in Worcestershire gives students access to teachers via a computer, even into the early hours of the morning.

It is called the Virtual Workspace and links up students to their classmates, teachers and other research material when they are not at school.

According to one teacher it has done wonders for pupils' exam scores.

Chris Pointing, head of science at the Chantry High School in Martley, says the results have been amazing.

"It raises standards. End of story," she says. "When students get home they can have a dialogue with me and their peers.

"If I'm not online they can contact a learning mentor who can give them advice even after midnight and into the early hours because some students are real night owls."

Pupils can access learning and research material, send homework to teachers and get it marked and use chat rooms to discuss work with their friends in a safe environment.

There is even information about work experience and discussion with past pupils.

"As a teacher I can upload my revision notes, past exam papers, advice on homework and can even add animations," says Miss Pointing.

The Virtual Workspace, which is being pioneered by Worcestershire and Wolverhampton education authorities, is currently available to those studying their GCSEs.

Samantha Clarke, a 15-year-old Chantry student, is convinced it is helping her improve her marks as she pursues her studies to become a vet.

"It's like a massive encyclopaedia," she says. "The difference is that it's quicker and easier than searching through a normal search engine and it's fully tailored to your needs. A lot of people who used it last year found it boosted their exam results because they've been able to get the information they needed straight away and they learnt in the way it suited them."

And perhaps that's its best feature. The system asks students a few questions to find out the way they learn best, whether it is visually, in colours, or even by hearing, and adapts the way it gives them information.

Samantha's classmate David Parsons, who makes use of the Virtual Workspace in his GCSE chemistry and physics, explains how it changes after-school life.

"When I go home at the end of the day I chill for a while and then I think about doing my homework," says the 15-year-old who is to train to be a chef next year.

"I log on to the internet and the Virtual Workspace just about every night."

Samantha Lisseman, aged 14, is one of the Chantry's most avid users. "It's really great because we can use it to find all the resources we need," she says.

So technology is changing schools forever but, thankfully, it will be some time before robots replace teachers.

As Miss Pointing gets ready to post her latest homework on to the site, she understands it still has its limitations.

"It's been a major success because learning the traditional way in the classroom is not going to be the best way for every child," she says.

"But there will still be teachers and there will still be schools."

Virtual Workspace was launched in 31 Worcestershire schools in March 2004. Last week, the county council announced plans to set up a charity to redistribute the authority's old computers to children without PCs at home.