Forget hip-hop, R`n' B and chart-toppers from the latest Brit Awards - another type of music is proving a hit with students at one Tyneside school.

Calming music is being piped into St Mary's RC School, in Longbenton, as well as its nearest Metro station, to help improve pupils' behaviour.

In what's thought to be a national first, the school is taking part in a trial which sees music played as soon as students arrive through the gates and during break times, when high-spirts often spill over into rowdiness.

What's more, it appears to be working.

The specially tailored soundscapes - the term given for an environment created by sound - already seem to have had a positive impact on how pupils behave.

The school was given a selection of 10 CDs, containing different soothing sounds, including running water.

Over the last few months the students have been able to choose their favourite pieces.

The first phase saw soundscapes played before and after school. It proved such a success that the music was extended into the dinner hall during the lunch break - and the school says the effect has been significant.

Mike Potts, citizenship and advanced skills teacher at St Mary's, said: "All the staff have been astounded by the swifter delivery of lunch. And it's great to be involved in a project where the school council and other pupils have been so engaged."

Metro passengers are also feeling the benefit, as the same soundscapes play at Longbenton Station, creating continuity with the sounds pupils hear as they pass through the school gates and helping reduce rowdy behaviour.

Nexus, which runs the Metro, has helped to fund the project. It was keen to take part as it responds to concerns raised by passengers about the behaviour of pupils from a number of schools.

The rail operator pioneered the use of classical music at stations during the evening to stop groups of youths congregating - an idea since copied across the country, including by London Underground.

Nexus' security and customer services manager John Meagher said: "Our passengers appreciate a calm, comfortable environment on stations and trains. We achieve that by working closely with the communities we serve, including schools.

"We supported this project from the outset because it offered a benefit to everyone, from St Mary's through to local shops and businesses and on into Metro. We are delighted it is going so well."

Brenda Soars, of Soars & Co, the company behind the scheme, added: "Tailored soundscapes, as proven in this project, are the vital component for success - just speculating doesn't work, as each situation is unique. Our approach pinpoints the best suited soundscape for the environment to create the desired outcome."