Morning best for learning maths: study

A new research has revealed that schools could see their maths scores rise if they schedule lessons in the morning, and also suggested that youngsters do better in history if they have classes in the subject after lunch.

The study carried out, by an academic at Royal Holloway, University of London looked at academic achievement, class schedules and absence rates at a Bulgarian school over nine years.

The findings showed that when teenagers had maths classes earlier in the day, they did better than if they had the same class in the afternoon but for history, the opposite was true.

"The findings indicate that afternoon classes lowered maths test scores and increased history test scores, which relate to psychology and neuroscience research about optimal functioning in different times of the day," the study concludes.

According to the author, Velichka Dimitrova the study indicates that by rearranging timetables, schools can improve students' results.

The findings back up psychology research that has found it is better to perform repetitive tasks earlier in the day, while tasks that involve making sense of something are better done later on, it was suggested.

"Rearranging school schedules in a more optimal way does not require investment of additional resources and could be a cost-effective intervention leading to improvements in academic performance," said Ms Dimitrova.

Press Association