A mother has withdrawn her five-year-old daughter from a school after it introduced massages before lessons to help pupils concentrate.

Susan Barraclough, 41, decided to teach her little girl at home after she discovered pupils at St Leonard's Community Infant School in Horsham give each other a form of Swedish massage before class.

The scheme for children up to 11 was introduced at the school six weeks ago.

Mrs Barraclough, a teacher, feared the therapy was inappropriate for children within a school environment.

She said: "This scheme has not been tested long-term. The school might claim the massage has various benefits but they've only been doing it for six weeks.

"Some children can be very tactile and I'm concerned they may use these skills inappropriately in the playground or in the park and get themselves into difficulty."

Mrs Barraclough, from Horsham, declined the school's offer to put her daughter in another room during the massage sessions as she was worried she would get teased for being outside the group for 15 minutes each day.

She also criticised the official guidelines, which state children whose parents do not agree to physical touching should massage a table instead.

The international programme of massage in schools was first introduced in Britain in 2000 and is now used in about 100 schools in the UK. It has also been taken on as a tool for the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

Pupils take turns to gently draw patterns on each other's heads, shoulders and backs while the teacher reads a story. Each technique is named after an animal.

Sessions are thought to have a significant and positive effect on behaviour, concentration and children's respect for each other.

St Leonard's headteacher Helen Cobbin said the school ran an information evening and demonstrations for parents before introducing it.

She said: "It's not just some weird or wacky thing. People hear the word massage and worry what that means but as soon as they see what happens they are completely at ease.

"The children enjoy it, we have noticed considerable improvements in concentration and their readiness to learn and they have a greater awareness of each other's feelings.

"It's had a positive impact on social skills and we have had fewer incidents to resolve between the children."

West Sussex County Council said it supported massage in schools and was happy to speak to parents with concerns.

A spokeswoman said: "Massage is a useful way of reducing stress and anxiety among pupils and preparing them for learning."

Parent Karin Harris, 46, whose five-year-old daughter Isabel attends St Leonard's, also backed the massage sessions.

She said: "It's a very positive thing. It has a calming influence on the children and is another way of bringing the children together and teaching them to respect each other's space."