A school taking part in a national study to establish whether a daily dose of fish oil improves concentration in the classroom has reported positive results.

A group of 25 pupils aged between six and 11 at Appleton Primary School, Appleton, near Abingdon, have been taking Haliborange DHA Concentration Omega 3 fish oil syrup as part of the research project.

The trial will finish at the end of this week and some parents have already reported improvements in their children's behaviour at home.

The research, which will be assessed by independent psychologists, is designed to establish whether fish oil supplements can help improve children's behaviour and levels of concentration.

The syrups contain docosahexaenoic acid -- an essential fatty acid naturally found in fish oil, which research has shown can aid the brain's power.

Research reveals that Omega 3 fatty acid deficiencies may be a factor causing learning difficulties, and past studies have shown DHA is essential for children's brain development.

The body cannot manufacture Omega 3 fatty acids and with children now eating 50 per cent less fish than they did during the Second World War it is thought that most children are deficient in Omega 3.

The classroom studies will show whether there is a need for a fish oil supplement in the diet of modern children.

Teachers taking part in a national pilot study last year gave their classes a daily dose of the Haliborange DHA Concentration and reported up to 40 per cent improvement in children's attention spans and concentration levels. They also claimed their pupils found maths easier.

Mary Watts, headteacher at Appleton, decided to take part in the study as part of the school's healthy eating ethos.

She said: "Some of the children have dropped out of the study because they didn't like the taste. Other children who have had fish oil in the past have said that the Haliborange fish oil tastes much better.

"The children are well behaved at Appleton so it's hard to tell, but I have had a few parents come and tell me that they have really noticed a difference."