SCHOOLDAYS are supposed to be the happiest of our lives, but for some youngsters the thought of simply setting foot in a school is enough to make them physically sick.

But thanks to the Internet and a hi-tech computer system, children who might have regularly skipped school and ended up leaving with no qualifications, can now transform their lives by studying at home.

The "Notschool.net" scheme was launched 12 months ago in Bolton to help those pupils who struggle to attend mainstream school for a variety of reasons, such as learning difficulties, serious illness, because they have a phobia of the place...or they can be so highly intelligent that school is not challenging enough for them.

Life has changed dramatically for the 21 young people who have taken part in the initiative as they are finally enjoying the learning process instead of dreading going into school -- and every single one of them has achieved some form of recognised qualification.

The Notschool system has been set up by 18 local education authorities across the country, but is proving to be so successful in Bolton that extra money has been found to allow 39 youngsters to take part by Christmas, and it hoped this figure will rise to 60 by next February.

Pupils are considered for the scheme through a referral process which can be via teachers or youth workers. But the young people are predominantly nominated by education social workers after they have persistently missed school.

Only pupils aged between 13 and 15 can take part, but in extreme circumstances younger children may also be considered.

The selection process is rigorous and only teenagers who have the full support of their family are considered. Agreeing to study at home is a big commitment because it means taking charge of such an expensive computer system.

For those who think studying at home will lead to the youngsters feeling even more isolated, Bolton's Notschool team argue that by taking part in the programme the teenagers have something to go out and talk about. Team leader Rick Guy said: "People do question the social aspect, but we encourage the parents to send their children to youth clubs and make sure the young people have interaction with people of their own age.

"We find that the kids become so confident when they're taking part in Notschool that they're keen to talk about it to their friends."

As so many of the youngsters are disaffected and in some cases have an extreme phobia of school, all references to it are abandoned. "Pupils" are referred to as "researchers", the "teachers" are "mentors", and regular school hours are a thing of the past.

The long summer holidays are cancelled as it can be difficult for some of the teenagers to study following such a long gap. If they want to go on holiday, they must email their mentor.

All contact between mentors and researchers is via e-mail on their computer system and the young people have access to experts in all subjects, as well as being able to chat to their fellow students all over the country in a special chatroom.

Mr Guy said: "Because many of these young people are vulnerable, a safety system is in place so that there is no way anyone else can hack into their chatroom.

"But they share ideas with each other and suggest interesting websites. It's amazing for them to be interacting with people of their own age again because some of them went into complete shutdown mode when they were in school."

The young people are allowed to study when they want to with some of them preferring to study in the evenings or at the weekends, and they can choose what they study.

For example, a teenager might have an aversion to the traditional way English or Maths is taught but, because they are mad about horses, they are happy to complete a research project on that subject and Maths can be introduced subtly through working out how much it might cost to run a stable.

The young people's work is constantly monitored and a weekly report is compiled on their progress.

Most teenagers taking part continue the programme until they would have officially left school anyway -- but some of them do choose to return to mainstream education.

All those following Notschool also receive help if they want to go into further education or find a job.

Notschool has proved so successful in this country that New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland have also adopted the programme to help their disaffected youngsters.