PUPILS from small rural schools in Weardale have been involved in a project that should help children across County Durham.

For many youngsters, leaving behind the safety of a primary school for the unknown of a new comprehensive school is a huge upheaval.

It was with this in mind that children about to start at Wolsingham Comprehensive School were given the chance to record their feelings. Diary extracts and photographs were gathered to form a book and tape called Stepping Up, which next year will go out to schools in County Durham and be used for teacher training.

Terry Deary, author of the Horrible Histories children's books, was at the launch, which took place at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

He said: "I came from a North-East school and identify with the experiences of the boys in the book.

"It's something that gets an emotional response from the people who read it."

Roger Cornwell, who designed the accompanying website, said: "Research shows that a children's learning curve is interrupted when they go to a bigger school, and it is more pronounced when they come from smaller primary schools. So we wanted to help kids express their emotions about it."

Artists Julie Ward and Richard Grassick developed the scheme, one of five projects in the country to get funding from the Mental Health Association.

Julie said: "It's a massive and significant project that happened in tiny Weardale. People in these rural areas don't get a significant slice of the cake when it comes to funding."

The website can be visited a www.stepping up.org.uk