THE biggest online maths class ever has been held at the Stockton City Learning Centre (CLC).

As part of Excellence in Cities Week, the centre hosted an online maths class using Elluminate Live!, which involved 210 children and teachers in 15 different locations.

The session, which was run on the Internet, but taught by a teacher, was fully interactive, allowing users to collaborate on their computers with other participants.

The one-hour virtual maths lesson to provide advice to maximise GCSE maths scores was so well received the centre is looking to develop the software further. It already runs language lessons between Billingham Campus School and a school in Cologne, Germany, as well as anonymous health counselling sessions.

Steve Kirby, Stockton CLC director, said: "The CLCs are amazingly brilliant test beds for innovative technology and its use in education.

"I am confident they will continue to provide a great method for developing 21st Century learning environments to challenge the rest of the world.

"The feedback we have received from people participating in the lesson has been incredible and I'm sure this project will continue to grow."