For children e-mail is “something your dad does” and their search engine of choice is as likely to be YouTube as Google.

But with many of the disruptive technologies that drip-feed children in their leisure hours banned within school buildings, what hope do teachers have of engaging their tech-savvy pupils?

At Bedford Primary School in Liverpool, social networking is embraced as part of the daily routine of school and learning.

It has joined Radiowaves, a dedicated school-based social network, which now boasts 13,000 schools in 22 countries.