Baby simulators are being used to teach teenagers about unwanted pregnancies.

Students at ACS Cobham International School will act as mothers and fathers for the weekend while looking after the simulators, which replicate the behaviour of a real baby.

The 13 and 14-year-old pupils were taught how to care for their babies and were encouraged to name and dress them to create a more realistic and effective experience.

Each baby simulator needs constant care and attention and regular feeding, rocking, nappy-changing and burping.

If the baby cries the parents must use an electronic tag to register their presence and have to identify what the baby needs.

Dee Tree, student life co-ordinator at ACS Cobham Middle School, said: “The project is going very well. The main aim is not to teach students parenting skills, but to demonstrate the impact an unplanned pregnancy can have.

“The project has surprised me in many ways in terms of what the students learn.

“One response that crops up quite frequently is a deepened appreciation among the students for their own parents’ commitment to parenting them.”

The project is part of a sex and health education programme at ACS Cobham, which covers topics from STIs to relationships and personal values about sex.