Durham University will now start doing lectures that start at 8am

Durham University has confirmed that it will introduce 8 a.m. lectures as part of the teaching timetable for some modules in the 2018/19 academic year, starting in Michealmas Term.

The university made no initial public statement, but confirmed the changes after Palatinate published the information from an internal email.

Durham have justified the timetabling changes as a temporary solution to the increasing number of students enrolling at the uni in the upcoming academic year.

Law, Mathematics and the Business School are the three departments affected, with a reported all-time high of over 270 law students enrolling into their second year.

Until the new Mary’s Field building has been constructed, there is a lack of suitable lecture theatres to accommodate such student numbers.

As a result of this issue, the university has confirmed that year groups will be split in two, resulting in longer teaching hours to house the extra groups.

When asked for a statement, a Durham University spokesperson said: "We know 8 a.m. lectures or splitting up student groups are not ideal solutions – for either students or staff – but these arrangements are temporary.

"After 2018/19, the new teaching building – with its large lecture theatre – will ease the pressure on demand for our 300-seater teaching spaces."

The university did not comment when asked whether teaching staff had been involved in discussions over decisions to extend their working day.