Pupils at an Oxford school are being sponsored by local businesses for the amount of time they spend revising for GCSE exams.

Oxford Community School in East Oxford is hoping the innovative scheme will motivate students to cram harder in the run-up to this summer's exams.

Several employers have already agreed to sponsor individual students and the college is appealing for more companies to join them.

Pupils will receive credits for the number of revision sessions they attend and parents can sign their time-tables to prove how many hours they have put in at home.

As well as the obvious reward of improving their exam chances, students will get a free or discount ticket to a theme park depending on how many hours they spend studying.

More than 90 pupils half of the Year 11 cohort turned up for a three-day revision conference over the Easter holiday to learn study skills and brush up on their maths, English, science and history.

A series of Saturday revision sessions started last weekend and will continue throughout the exam period.

The sessions are part of a new two-year programme of after-school initiatives to raise standards, funded with a £90,000 grant from the Regional Development Agency.

Senior teacher Jennie Montgomerie said: "I have started a credit system for the Year 11 students to help motivate them during the exam period. The more revision they do, the cheaper their ticket to Alton Towers will be.

"We are hoping businesses will help by sponsoring individual students who revise the most. This will provide an incentive and help motivate them. Even if they sponsor one student, it can make a difference."

As a teacher himself, Kursch Ahmed, director of Oxford-based ice-cream and bakery wholesaler Terry's Country Cuisine, knows how motivating such incentives can be.

He said: "It's my way of putting something back into schools. We employ students during the summer so if we help them, they might want to come back and work for us. It's a bit of encouragement for them £150 isn't much if it motivates five students."

For details, call Jennie Montgomerie or Amanda Carter-Fraser on 01865 428200.