TELEVISION'S Popstars - the Rivals have competition in their bid for the coveted Christmas number one spot.

Aspiring pop idols from Southampton's Beechwood Junior School are releasing their own CD in competition with the TV chart hopefuls.

The talented youngsters have had professional sound engineers in to record seven classic Christmas tracks for the CD and hope they are good enough to get into the top ten.

The Bitterne school's brass band provided musical accompaniment for tunes like Away In A Manger and The Holly and the Ivy, as well as for more upbeat numbers such as Calypso Carol.

Year 6 pupils penned their own seasonal smash hit for the CD called Christmas Time. The tune details the exciting but brief rush of Christmas and how it all ends up as mince pie crumbs on the floor and a turkey carcass in the bin.

Each CD comes with an individual cover, each designed by a different one of the Juniper Road school's children.

Youngsters were trained by head Christine Bulmer.

Class teacher Simon Warner said: "We have got a history of good singing in productions so we wanted a permanent record of what they have achieved.

"The kids are really keen to get it on CD. They are always talking about it getting in the charts and wanting to see how well it does."

The £5 CD will go on sale at the school's Christmas fair on Friday, December 13, at 4pm. Alternatively, contact the school on 023 8022 7692.