A NORTH-EAST school is testing a revolutionary "brain gym" exercise scheme which aims to help pupils hit new academic heights.

Youngsters at Polam Hall School, in Darlington, regularly take part in simple classroom exercises which are said to integrate the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

The Brain Gym system, which originated in the US, is being run by English and history teacher Helen Wright and is being trialled by pupils up to year six.

Miss Wright said: "According to the educational kinesiology model of the brain, the left side is academic, where information is processed logically, academically and sequentially.

"The right side houses the reflex brain that sees the big picture with spacial perception and vision.

"Brain Gym merges the two through a series of fun exercises which bring movement and learning together to help pupils reach their highest level of ability."

The school provides every child taking part with a bottle of water and is encouraging pupils to take frequent sips to aid concentration and improve academic skills.

Angela Foster, junior school headteacher, said: "Pupils are having a lot of fun with Brain Gym, but will also benefit from it through their studies."

The Brain Gym scheme is used in about 30 countries.