YOUNG explorers are looking forward to digging for buried treasure and hunting for mini-beasts.

Children at Crescent Primary School, in Meir, want their own outdoor classroom with a pond area and an archaeological dig pit.

The school is entering The Sentinel's and Barclays' Class Act competition with the hope of winning one of the three £5,000 prizes.

The main feature of the sheltered outdoor classroom will be the archaeological pit, filled with a selection of artefacts from different periods throughout history and rubber sand so that the children stay clean.

Teacher Nicci Crump said the idea came from a competition in school.

She said: "Each class came up with their own ideas and had to present them to the headteacher.

"The winning class created a PowerPoint presentation that showed the archaeological pit and all the artefacts that the different school years could dig up for the topics that they were studying."

Artefacts are not the only things pupils will be digging up. With plans for an allotment, the children could be growing and harvesting their own vegetables.

The children were keen to do this because they said it was good for the environment and would be cheaper than greens bought in shops.

A pond area on the site would also help them further their interest in nature.

Crescent Primary School currently has a freshwater stream running through the school grounds. If pupils are successful in the competition, they hope to clean it up and use the water to create a pond where children will be able to study fish alongside the animals and insects that the habitat will attract.

Thomas Ruscoe, aged eight, said: "I'd feel very excited if we won the money; the whole school will benefit forever. Every single year would benefit."

The outdoor classroom will also be decked out with tables and chairs so children can continue their schoolwork outside as well as being able to enjoy their lunches in the fresh air.

The area will also be sheltered so teachers and children will be able to make full use of the classroom, regardless of the weather.