HELPINGS of toast and fruit are being introduced by two County Durham schools to give children a boost before they begin their school day.

At Wheatley Hill Primary, near Peterlee, children on the school council recently tried out various healthy foods to add to the menu of their breakfast club, voting for the ones they wanted to introduce.

They were helped by the specialist health promotion service of Easington Primary Care Trust, who will fund the healthy breakfast options for six weeks leading up to Christmas.

Pupils also helped design posters to promote their breakfast club.

Meanwhile, Esh Winning Primary School, near Durham, this week launched its own breakfast club for children and their parents. Mayor of Durham City, Councillor Eileen Rochford opened the club at 8.30am on Monday, which is already being used by about 50 pupils.

Lucy Crystal-Smith, health promotion specialist with Easington Primary Care Trust, said: "Unfortunately many children skip breakfast for a number of reasons, but research shows that having breakfast can improve attention levels and reduces the need to snack before lunch-time.

"The aim of the breakfast club is to ensure each school child has the option of eating a healthy nutritious breakfast in a social environment, which will in turn promote good, long-term eating habits."

Wheatley Hill Primary School has also introduced a policy to allow children to have a bottle of water with them throughout the day, following a national campaign, called Water is Cool in School. The campaign highlights research showing that when children are thirsty, their mental performance can be reduced by ten per cent.