YOUNGSTERS have been given £100m to manage the careers of Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams -in an attempt to teach them maths.

Fantasy Top 40 is a maths challenge that is being introduced to schools in the region, with pupils being given a virtual budget of £100m to set up a record label and manage the financial affairs of the stars.

The youngsters, aged 11 to 14, will have to calculate the costs of releasing a single and the money they will make if the record hits the top of the charts.

The project has been put together by Teesside company Setpoint North-East, and hundreds of children have already taken up the challenge.

Operations manager Sarah McLusky said: "Pop music is always very popular with children, so we thought that by combining maths with the Top 40 singles chart, we could make lessons more fun.

"They will have to tune into the charts and do their maths homework every week to see how their artists are doing, and we will see who is the best budding pop mogul at the end of the year."

At the end of the challenge, the winner will receive a certificate, a CD player and £100 in music vouchers.