WHEN you're at school it's easy to wonder how algebra or long division could ever be useful outside the classroom. However, students at one North East school have been learning how maths skills come in handy on a daily basis and in a variety of jobs.

A BUSINESS school is in the grip of a baby boom, with six students having become parents during their two-year course. The new mothers and fathers are studying part-time at Durham Business School, working towards an executive MBA.

A LEADING business school is banking on a sponsorship deal paying off for its students. Durham Business School has signed a deal with the Bank of Scotland, which will see the bank sponsor projects led by the school's MBA students, and look to recruit from its graduates.

The Durham Business School is joining forces with one of the biggest names in corporate banking to offer its MBA students new collaborative opportunities.

South Africa is a long way from Durham but in 2004 Stephen Prior swapped the southern hemisphere for the considerably cooler climes of the North-East to further his education.