University of Oxford researchers say teenagers start functioning properly two hours later than older adults.
Graham Coyle, who is a team leader at the Christian Schools' Trust, told Premier's News Hour why he isn't convinced it will work.
He said: "To be honest I've taught them at nine o'clock in the morning and I've taught them at ten o'clock in the morning and I don't see a great deal of difference between the two.
"So I don't know whether this would make a significant difference or not."
The new study is to look at whether starting school at 10am, and educating students about the benefits of sleep, boosts GCSE marks.
Colin Espie, a professor of sleep medicine at Oxford University, said: "We know something funny happens when you're a teenager.
"You seem to be slightly out of sync with the rest of the world. Of course, your parents think that's probably because you're a little bit lazy and opinionated, and if only you got to bed early at night you'd be able to get up in the morning.
"But science is telling us in fact there are developmental changes during the teenage years, which lead to them actually not being as tired as we think they ought to be at normal bedtime and still sleepy in the morning."
Around 32,000 14- to 16-year-olds at 106 schools are due to take part in the sleep trials in England.
Researchers will also look at the effect of mobile phones and tablets on sleep.
Graham Coyle from the Christian Schools' Trust: