Good buddies are making life better for fellow pupils at Parkwood Primary School.

A group of year six pupils have become Parkwood Buddies to help other youngsters at the Keighley school. The aim of the initiative is to provide pupils in Key Stage One with support from their peers.

Learning mentors Richard Wilson and Jo Wake interviewed 15 pupils and had the tough job of choosing six to become buddies.

Richard said: "The idea is to promote good behaviour throughout the school and to provide the buddies with a sense of responsibility. It also helps us because they extend the learning mentor team.

"They play games with the children lower down the school and help to keep them occupied. They also set up the games and put away equipment. We have trips out of school one afternoon a week and one buddy helps to supervise.

"The buddies all sit with the teachers and wear red sashes, which makes them a bit more high profile." Buddy Stephen Shackleton said: "We enjoy it because we can play games with the other children, keep them happy and make sure they don't fight." Pupils at the school also learned some lessons about how to halt bullying. Health workers Chris Bradley and Merv Pemberton, from Airedale Primary Care Trust, held an anti-bullying assembly.

Said Merv: "The assembly is about caring and sharing so we use role playing to get the message across.

"We get children to act as hangers on in a crowd while someone is bullied and then ask them to take a step back."