A Bradford school has invested £100,000 in new technology to create the district's first 'e-pupils'.

Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College is spending the cash on a new computer system which could in future enable youngsters to complete their homework online.

And immediate benefits, starting this term, include a new electronic registration system and the ability to cut paperwork by issuing memos to staff in the form of e-mails.

New laptop computers are being issued to all teachers who will use them to take the register electronically.

The hi-tech system means managers will be easily able to monitor truants and flag up worrying trends.

The most recent published figures shows the school has a truancy rate of three per cent, higher than the Bradford average of 2.5 per cent and well above the national average of 1.1 per cent.

Bosses at the school hope the new technology is the first step towards creating a paperless classroom. In the future, they envisage children logging on to their home computers to complete their homework electronically using an individualised Internet portal.

Eighty classroom teachers will also be encouraged to use their new laptops to prepare lesson plans.

They will be able to use Internet resources to deliver lessons, by hooking up their laptop to one of the school's five electronic whiteboards.

Teachers will also receive memos from their bosses in the form of e-mails to their laptops - reducing unnecessary paperwork.

Simon Smith, deputy head teacher, said: "It is a lot of money but we have been helped by a grant of £20,000 from the Government to improve attendance, as Bradford is below the national average. We could have invested in new carpets, but it's a matter of priorities. Our priorities are improving attendance and tackling teacher workload, as well as getting rid of all those pieces of paper."

The school is developing the system through its ongoing contract with Leeds-based Firstnet Services Limited.

Bryan Cobley, development director at Firstnet, said: "The e-pupil system we have installed at Yorkshire Martyrs is just the first step on a unique platform giving us the ability to grow the needs and requirements of the school.

"There are endless opportunities to build on, including uploading pupil information from the feeder schools and the ability for children to log on at home to do their homework." He added: "Unfortunately for the children, the days of using the excuse of a dog eating your homework are numbered."

Robert Austick and Natalie Stead, both 11, are pictured with the new lap tops.