WHEN teacher Liz Robertson looks around her new reception class, she could be forgiven for thinking she is seeing double.

With four sets of twins among this year's intake at St Godric's, near Durham, there are bound to be cases of mistaken identity.

Headteacher Christine Coxon said the new starters, three sets of identical twins and one of non-identical twins, is unique in the school's history.

She also said she believed it has not occurred in any one year group in any of the county's schools before.

All eight boys are pupils in the reception class but because all attended the school's nursery unit, staff are already familiar with the four-year-old lookalikes.

Only a few days into the new term and reception teacher Mrs Robertson is able to spot the differences between the identical pupils, though she conceded there were certain occasions when confusion arose.

The identical twins include Patrick and Declan Gilroy, Alexander and Peter Hampshire and Yaseen and Zanya Deen Summad. The other twins are Joseph and Dominic Langton.

There are no other sets of twins at St Godric's but, with four sets arriving in one year, Mrs Coxon said she would not be surprised if the school was invited to take part in studies into twins.

Mrs Coxon said the other pupils have taken the arrival of the twins in their strides.