A SEARCH for future generations of university graduates has started in primary schools.

The University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, is in the fifth year of its Meteor programme, in which university student mentors work with children in primary schools.

The project aims to raise the aspirations of children aged as young as ten.

Next Monday, 550 potential university students from six primary schools in Middlesbrough and four in east Cleveland will attend a summer school on campus.

This year's summer school will end in two mini-graduation ceremonies for all the children, at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Tuesday, July 15.

The university is also establishing a planetarium, which will take youngsters on a virtual journey through the solar system.

There will also be initiatives in drama, maths, art, and a computer technology class which will see children use the latest software to compose music.

Wendy Bell, the university's schools' liaison officer (primary), said: "This year is really exciting for us as it is our fifth Meteor Summer School for primary schoolchildren."