Primary school pupils have put their pens and paper to one side to learn about the art of looking after chickens.

Stoke Ash School, near Eye, is reaping the rewards after nurturing 10 eggs which after some tender-loving-care and incubation have now hatched.

After being fed and looked after away from the school for a while, five hens will remain for the youngsters, from reception to year six, to look after and learn more about.

Vice-chairman of the school's board of governors and chairman of the friends group, Lorraine Turner, said money for the project had come from fundraising and the friends.

'The children got properly involved and went out there and turned the eggs and we got a little camera on them and we were there when the first chick was hatching and got all the children out of their classrooms to watch,' she said. 'They've been so excited about it but the school is very good at subtly including things to the children's curriculum without them realising so it's been educational.

'They had to turn the eggs and look after the temperature and humidity and there's been the issue of life and death because one of the children dropped an egg so they had a discussion about that.'