A MALVERN school is encouraging parents to provide water for their children to help improve their concentration and behaviour during lessons.

Ann-Marie Wallbank, head of St Joseph's RC Primary School in Malvern Link, introduced the initiative by giving out a free bottle of mineral water to each of her 202 pupils on Monday.

They were supplied by mineral water company Buxton, which is keen to promote its new line of 250 millilitre children's bottles.

Mrs Wallbank wants pupils to continue drinking water throughout the school day.

"It's something I've wanted to do for quite a long time," she said.

"There's a lot of research that says children learn better when they drink lots of water. Drinking water has a very positive effect on their behaviour and their learning, which sounds good to us."

Pupils are allowed to leave lessons to fill up their bottles with water but are not allowed any other type of drink in class.

Mrs Wallbank said this had not created an undue degree of disruption and that most pupils have been "really good about it".

She said that it is up to parents whether they provided a new bottle of mineral water every day or whether they just refilled the bottles.

Sarah Cowen, of Buxton, said: "The Enuresis Resource and Information Centre (ERIC) is recommending to the Department of Health that 'fluid breaks' should be introduced in schools and that children should be allowed to take their own water bottle to school.

"ERIC recommends that children should drink six to eight cups of water a day and should be allowed to drink water at regular intervals throughout the day."