A SCHOOL in Great Missenden is breaking new ground by becoming the first in Britain to use a Swedish memory training program.

Pupils at the Gateway School have been using the new software to improve their concentration and problem solving ability since September.

Staff say the software – known as 'Cogmed' – has proved a huge hit with the Year 6 and 5 pupils who have been turning up at school earlier than usual to use it.

Special classes have been starting at 7.45am as children each aim to complete 25 sessions.

Headteacher Steve Wade said: “All of the children have noticed particular things with it. Some were better able to follow instructions, some were able to get involved with discussions and parents noticed they were more responsive at home.

“It's had a very positive impact in terms of how they feel about themselves.”

The Cogmed software was developed by scientists in Sweden and is particularly helpful for sufferers of dyslexia and ADHD.

One of the team behind the research into the program, Maria Anderson, approached the school to see if they wished to use it.

The school agreed to it, becoming the first in the country to use Cogmed alongside its lessons.

Each session, pupils take part in eight different activities out of a possible ten stored on the computer system.

Mr Wade added the school may consider starting classes for adults as well. “There's scope for doing something like that,” he said.