A TEAM of young entrepreneurs who have created a directory for all the shops and offices around their school has won the latest round in a competition to find the business brains of tomorrow.

The pupils, from Framwellgate School, in Durham, have taken the fourth round of the Future Business Magnates competition - and played their joker to place them at the front in the contest.

The school now has 565 points, only two points ahead of its closest rival, the team from Belmont School Community Arts College, at 563.

The latest challenge was headlined Advertise and Flog It, which involved doing market research to identify who their customers were, pinpointing their competition and explaining why any customer would want to use their business.

The team members then had to produce promotional material to advertise their business.

The Framwellgate squad designed a website and produced a radio jingle, as well as corporate stationery with corporate letterheads, business cards and complementary slips.

Their logo - Adfram - was based on the slogan Advertising Delivers Favourable Results Achieving Maximum Coverage of the Market.

The local business directory will be charging businesses to advertise in the publication, and then promote, free of charge, local charities and community events.

Teacher Dorothy Creek said: "They were absolutely delighted and were jumping all over the place when they heard they had won. They worked really hard to achieve this.

The team's mentor is Catherine Olley, who is human resources manager at the Marriott Hotel.

She said: "They all had a good cuddle and laugh when they heard they had won, but got straight down to preparing for the next challenge. They have a lot of work to do in the next section."

Eight teams of between eight and ten year eight pupils are vying to win the competition, which is supported by The Northern Echo and sponsored by Lafarge and Yorkshire Bank.

Judges award points for research, teamwork, creativity and originality, time management and planning, as well as for overall quality.

The winners, who will be announced at an awards dinner at the Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, in July will win a prize of £3,000, as well as a trophy for the school and £100 each for members of the winning team.