MILK might be cool for cats but it's also cool for kids. Whoever discovered that the calcium-rich liquid, routinely suckled by calves, was full of goodness for humans, too, struck oil.

Milkmen continue to carry out their early morning rounds, delivering gold top and other varieties.

But fewer children are getting their daily quota of vital vitamins and minerals the refreshing drink provides.

National School Milk Week takes place next month and the Evening News has teamed up with local dairies to offer schools the chance to win a day's supply.

The daily routine of being given a small glass bottle of fresh milk is clear in my memory.

The sound of the pop as you pierced the foil top with the straw, then the cold creamy taste as it quenched your thirst after playtime.

Subsidised milk is still available for every primary school child across the country. But only around 16 per cent of schools offer it to their pupils.

For just £7 a term primary school children can receive milk every day.

It's not just the calcium that children benefit from, though the fact that it provides around 50 per cent of the recommended daily requirement is a bonus. Children need the calcium to build strong teeth and bones.

Milk also contains at least nine other properties that benefit youngsters and more mature milk drinkers alike.

Eyesight receives a boost from vitamin A, while red blood cells flourish with dose of vitamin B12.

Other advantages include milk's carbohydrate properties, which boost energy levels, pepped up with magnesium to help muscles function.

Phosphorus helps with the release of energy - I'm sure parents will see that as a prime reason for drinking milk - and potassium helps the nerves function.

Milk also contains protein for growth and repair, riboflavin for healthy skin and zinc for the immune system.

Sounds impressive, doesn't it? So why aren't we all milk drinkers?

Since leaving that particular primary school (in Middlesex) I started at a school in Gloucestershire where the milk was in a carton.

The taste wasn't as nice and suddenly I began to dislike the flavour of plain milk. Thank heavens for flavours!

But the reality of milk is that, although I still dislike the original flavour, I still drink a glass of the white stuff (with or without added ingredients).

For children the benefits are multiple.

Drinking milk at break-time constitutes a nutritional snack that can satisfy both a child's thirst and hunger.

A hungry or thirsty child is more likely to become distracted at school and lack concentration in the classroom. Providing them with mid-morning milk can help children to maintain their concentration until lunch.

Although milk is a processed food it is not engineered or fabricated. The British Dietetic Association recommends that children have milk, cheese or yoghurt three times a day in order to maintain a healthy diet.

Which is why it's so important that schools take advantage of National School Milk Week.

It's aiming to raise awareness of the availability of EU subsidised milk as the general opinion is that it has been phased out.

The EU-funded scheme requires member states to make subsidies available for whole and semi-skimmed, plain and flavoured drinking milk.

"The Dairy Industry Association, along with our member dairies, is seeking to encourage more children to drink milk as part of their daily routine, and school is the place for them to start," said Peter Dawson of the Dairy Industry Association Ltd (DIAL).

"Primary school children need to optimise their vitamin intake and a daily intake of milk provides vital nutrients for their development."

So look out for the competition running in the Evening News ahead of National Schools Milk Week, which is being held from Monday, October 7 to Sunday, October 13.

Two local primary schools have the chance to win a school milk cooler fridge and 20 schools can win a day's supply of the cool white stuff.

n For more details on how your school can win, turn to Page 21.