ARTISTIC children at a Teesside primary school are swapping brushstrokes for keystrokes thanks to computer technology.

A few years ago, art lessons at Nunthorpe Primary School would probably have meant crayons or paintbrushes.

Now year six children are creating abstract artwork using a computer art graphics programme - and teachers hope it will help the school to achieve an arts mark award.

In the past 18 months, Alpha Lan, a Stockton-based IT company, has helped transform the IT capabilities of more than 20 primary schools in region - and Nunthorpe is one of the latest.

"Five years ago, we had very basic computer facilities," said teacher Ann Flavell, the school's IT co-ordinator. "Today, we have a network of 17 computers running Windows XP, newly-installed by Alpha Lan, allowing every class access to the computer suite twice a week, with two children sharing each computer."

As well as graphic art, year six children have just completed a project on Ann Frank, during which they linked up through the Internet with the Ann Frank Museum, in Amsterdam.

Andy Duff, of Alpha Lan, said: "Even in infant and junior schools, the blackboard, chalk and rubber are long banished to the history books and, in their place, lessons are presented on interactive Smartboards and overhead multi-media projectors, linked to the teacher's laptop computer, and children working on suites of PCs."

Loftus Junior Schoo recently invested nearly £40,000 on new computers and installing Microsoft Windows XP through Alpha Lan.

Each classroom now has an interactive Smartboard, often dubbed a whiteboard in reference to its predecessor, and children use AlphaSmart word processors to improve keyboard skills.

Year five children recently studied Victorian people by accessing a database of employees at Cadbury Schweppes from 1889, while a geography project on the world's mountains concluded with a multi-media presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint.