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Three schools for children with special needs are hoping to knock X Factor off the Christmas number one spot with their own festive song.

Written, performed and recorded by the children themselves, the three schools are hoping to get the song into the charts.

Children from Ashgrove School and Ysgol Erw’r Delyn in Penarth and Ysgol Maes Dyfan in Barry have joined together to form The Rocketeers.

The three schools all work with children with learning difficulties, autism, Downs Syndrome and physical and mental disabilities and will amaglamate as one new school, Ysgol y Deri, next year in Penarth.

Watch the video of the Rocketeers in action

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Ysgol Erw’r Delyn’s music co-ordinator, Darren Fellows, came up with the idea of the shared project which started in September.

The 20 children, aged between six and 17, started their own school record label called YYD Records, and designed the label’s logo.

The children wrote the lyrics and the melody for It’s Christmas Time and had the help and advice of David Lloyd from Rheidol Records.

The music is played by the pupils and includes main vocals by students Jamie Cabral and Nathan Ellis.

The Rocketeers then recorded the song at YYD Studios based at Ashgrove School and had it mastered at Hafod Mastering in Cowbridge with the help of Gethin Jon who works with Charlotte Church.

Mr Fellows said: “Our goal is to enter the charts and to get as many people to download it as possible. Some of the children have limited life expectancy and we are trying to do something really special for them. To have it on iTunes is an achievement in itself but to get it in the charts would be amazing for them. In a dream world we’d like to knock X Factor off the Christmas number one spot.”

He said the song has boosted morale among children and staff at the schools.

He said: “This is the beginning of YDD Records. We wanted to start something exciting and ambitious. We’re really proud of them.”

The schools will host a major launch for It’s Christmas Time at Ashgrove School next week as part of the school’s Christmas concert which all of the pupils and parents will attend.

The song is now available to download with all of the money being used to provide music for the pupils at the new school.

It’s Christmas Time is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.