BELBROUGHTON schoolchildren returned to classes to discover an overgrown school garden had been transformed into a mini petting zoo.

Barnett Hill Garden Centre, near Hagley, sponsored the redevelopment at Belbroughton CofE Primary which is now home to three chickens, a rabbit and two guinea pigs.

The revamp, costing several thousand pounds, came as a complete surprise to youngsters at the Belbroughton Road school.

Garden centre bosses supplied the labour and materials for the transformation which also included a vegetable garden.

They also donated propagators and seeds plus bedding and food for the school’s new furry and feathered residents which were bought and donated by parents James and Lisa Joyce.

Headteacher Derek Higgins said: “The introduction of pets will enable us to develop the curriculum in a new and exciting way.

“Our aim is to promote good practice in animal welfare and encourage children to take shared responsibility for the care of the animals.”

Barnett Hill manager Nick Walton said he was “only too pleased” to to help the school to promote animal husbandry, working outside and growing its own produce.

The school grounds have undergone major development over the past 12 months funded by the school’s PTA and through private sponsorship from firms such as Barnett Hill.