Promoted by the Beatles as essential to peace of mind, it has been used for thousands of years as a way to achieve enlightenment.

Now an NHS director believes schools should teach meditation as a way to combat teenage angst and keep children off drugs.

Professor John Ashton, director of public health for NHS North West, made the comments after looking at a school in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

Teachers at the fee-paying Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment believe that their success is directly linked to daily meditation classes, which begin at the age of four.

The school, which has charitable status, is consistently in the top 2.5 per cent nationwide in league tables and since 1997 every pupil who has sat GCSE exams has achieved at least five A to C grades.

Professor Ashton said: 'We need to equip kids with alternative methods of dealing with stress and angst and it may be something that schools should know more about.

'Some schools have started to set up calming rooms to calm pupils down. Meditation is an extension of that.'

He believed that if children had a better ability to control their emotions, they may be less inclined towards illegal drugs and alcohol.

“We need to provide kids from an early age with the wherewithal to live in an environment which is testing. One method could be meditation.'

Founded 15 years ago by a group of meditating parents, the school now has 100 pupils, with class sizes in its secondary section a maximum of 12. Fees are £2,400 a year for primary and £4,000 for secondary.

As well as following the national curriculum, pupils take part in twice-daily meditation classes based around the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique.

Children aged 10 and under take part in a few minutes silence known by the school as 'word of wisdom'. Older pupils meditate for up to 20 minutes each day.

Headteacher Derek Cassells said: “The experience is as essential as the experience of doing mathematics. Success in all subjects depends on the silence in a child's life.'

TM, 'popularised by the Beatles’ spiritual advisor, Indian mystic Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is believed to be an effective tool for gaining deep relaxation, eliminating stress and increasing creativity and intelligence. It is practised by five million people worldwide.

Research from Taiwan recently published in the scientific journal “Intelligence” found that the intelligence and creativity of students was boosted by TM.

Robert Johnson, a governor at the school and member of the North West's Public Health Association, said: 'We have had some of the best GCSE results in the country for three or four years. We are massively underfunded in terms of facilities, yet we are a rip-roaring success.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said he was not aware of any research showing that TM could boost the potential of pupils.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: 'They always feature very well in the league tables. The children there certainly get a very good education.'

k.hurry@dailymail.co.uk

Picture caption: Oasis of calm: Juniors and seniors in class meditating with a teacher.