CHILDREN from east Durham took part in a family fun day to help them get used to the next step in their education.

Twenty-five families took part in the taster day at Wellfield Community School in Wingate, County Durham.

The Day of Discovery was organised by Durham-based Melting Pot Arts and held at the school on Saturday.

The idea was to allow year six pupils from nearby feeder schools to familiarise themselves with their new school, staff and buildings.

Children used materials such as water barrels, drain pipes, bamboo and tin cans to create a junk orchestra.

They also used recyclable materials such as bottles, cans, cartons and cardboard to create strange new lands and alien creatures.

Melting Pot Arts director Rebecca Burns said: "Going up to a new school can be a daunting experience.

"We wanted to help the pupils imagine what it would be like to travel to a completely new world.

"Some of the aliens they designed may have been what they expected their new teachers to be like.

"But we found that a lot of them came back and said they felt less scared.

"It was extremely successful and they all had a great day and said they would come back.

"They now feel a lot more comfortable with changing their schools."