In the Yorkshire suite of the Ardsley House hotel near Barnsley, a man in a suit launches into his Powerpoint presentation. He stresses the importance of motivation and self-discipline. His audience relaxes in comfortable chairs, clutching glossy schedules and admiring the chandeliers. But the man at the front isn’t a business consultant, he’s a teacher. And he’s not addressing corporate clients. His audience is made up of Year 11 students from Wombwell high school in South Yorkshire, and they’re here to learn how to revise.

Although it’s the time of year when all schools give their pupils hints on exam success, few hire lavish conference facilities to get the message across. Wombwell’s headteacher, Irene Dalton, admits it is unusual. “Bringing 170 teenagers to a three-star hotel might seem crazy. But we’ve been running this conference day for three years now. And it works.”

The day is made up of a series of seminars and discussions exploring every aspect of exam preparation - from using the internet to breathing correctly if you have a panic attack. Advice on time management and revision technique is interspersed with role-play and the chance to quiz some of last year’s GCSE students about their experiences. All of which could easily take place in the classroom or school hall. So why incur the hassle and expense of organising an awayday?

“It’s about making the pupils feel valued,” explains David Sim, one of Wombwell’s three deputies. He points out that preparing for exams requires very adult skills, particularly the ability to prioritise. “Having the students in a conference environment sends out a clear message: you’re young adults now.”

Certainly the pupils respond to this. Some of the lectures are loaded with information, but the teenage audience is attentive. And at the conclusion of each session there’s warm appreciation for the speaker. In past years this demonstration of mature behaviour has had a knock-on effect in school, bringing an improved atmosphere on return to the classroom. “It’s a watershed,” says Mr Sim. “A rite of passage.”

Conference-weary cynics might balk at another day cooped up in a hotel eating yet more chicken drumsticks and samosas - but for the pupils of Wombwell high it’s a new and exciting experience. “It’s a big thing for them to come here,” says Ms Dalton. “This is the hotel where local people aspire to have their wedding reception. This is posh - and we’re not a posh school.” She understands the importance of boosting her pupils’ self-esteem and is convinced that the awayday does this. “A day out here let’s them know I think the world of them - which I do.”

She insists on the same standards of service as she would expect for a group of headteachers attending a conference. So the pupils get all the trappings of the corporate experience: note pads and mineral water on the tables, coffee and biscuits and, of course, an extensive buffet lunch. And while the local businessmen sharing the conference facilities attack the buffet like a plague of locusts, the Wombwell pupils are polite and restrained. When a waitress refreshes supplies of tea and coffee, one girl is delighted. “It’s nice to be waited on,” she laughs. “I could get used to it.”

“That’s the idea,” says Ms Dalton. “We want them to get used to it. If they get the grades at GCSE, then maybe they’ll get a job where this type of experience is common. After today, they will feel more comfortable in these situations.”

The final seminar of the day focuses on stress management. It’s suitably timed; as the afternoon has worn on some of the pupils have adopted worried frowns. “This is the day when they realise the exams are for real,” says John Read, another of Wombwell’s deputy heads. He’s been on the staff for 19 years and has taught many of the parents of today’s students. It’s given him a sharp understanding of the local culture. Wombwell is a typical former mining village, with school traditionally filling the time before going down the pit or getting married. Although some things have changed, many attitudes haven’t.

“We devote a whole day to teaching them to revise independently because they won’t all get the necessary support at home. Some of them will have to point out to their parents that right now isn’t the best time for a family holiday.

“We aren’t going to change attitudes in one day. But we can make a difference to these pupils. And if they see the importance of education, in 10 years’ time, when they become parents themselves, the ethos will change. But you have to win the short-term battles first.”

Wombwell high is certainly doing that. Seventy-two per cent of its pupils now stay in education after the age of 16. Not so long ago, says Mr Read, it was less than 30 per cent. The lectures at Ardsley House stress to pupils the practical difference that good grades can make to the rest of their lives. The day is about more than revision tips; it’s about developing an achievement culture.

“We want to give them a day to remember,” says Mr Read. “If they remember the day, they might also remember the message. Which is good - because it’s an important one.”