Babies will be brought into classrooms throughout Scotland as part of a pioneering programme to reduce bullying and aggression in schools.

Half a million children across the world have already taken part in the Roots of Empathy program, which is now being rolled out to a school in North Lanarkshire.

Pupils at Motherwell's Keir Hardie Primary will be "taught" how to understand empathy and emotion by a baby and its mother, under a system that was pioneered in Canada.

Developed in 1996 by parenting expert Mary Gordon, Roots of Empathy has been shown to improve children's emotional literacy and social skills as they learn to relate to the baby and understand its relationship with its mother, said to be "the ideal model of empathy".

Side effects not originally planned by Ms Gordon include a notable reduction in violence and bullying among those who undergo the programme.

The visits by baby and mother occur on average nine times a year, and the results have been positively reviewed by independent evaluators.

The Motherwell pupils are among the first in Scotland to take part, but it is hoped many more schools in the country will be able to benefit from the programme in the future.

IN DETAIL

• Roots of Empathy's website