PUPILS want to get back to nature – and they say the first step will be taming part of their school which has gone to seed.

The nature area at St Joseph's Primary School, Goldenhill, has become overgrown, its fence is broken and paths are hard to make out.

Children now want to dredge its pond to attract more wildlife back to the area.

And, when the birds and animals arrive, the pupils want to be ready in a hide-style classroom of their own.

Teacher Gemma Dyke said: "We want to be able to create an outside classroom in the pond area, so children can extend their learning and see the environment as it is.

"We want a classroom built into the hill, so it is hidden and out of the elements.

"We could have science lessons down there and use the hide for observation.

"The school's eco-council is currently trying to get funding to fix the fence, dredge the pond and set up different areas – a wet area and an overgrown area – to attract more wildlife.

"We currently have ducks and foxes that come and go and I imagine we get badgers. We'd like to get some cameras to catch them on film."

The school is now entering The Sentinel and Barclays' Class Act competition and hopes to win one of the £5,000 prizes.

Miss Dyke said: "If we had a shelter and safer paths, we would be able to use the pond all the time and with a shelter it would not matter what the weather was.

"At the moment, we are only spending a short amount of time at the pond and then coming back to work in the classroom, so we would be able to spend longer down there.

"Other schools would also be able to use the area."

Pupils at the Mobberley Road school are also keen to spend more time in the nature area.

Ella Grantham, aged 10, from Sandyford, said: "I want a classroom there because, when we go down to the wet area, we have to come all the way back to class.

"If we had a classroom we'd be able to do our work down there.

"I want to see the different birds and animals you see on television but not in real life, things like foxes and badgers."

Daniel Clibbon, aged 10, from Chell, said: "If we had the classroom, we'd be able to get some good sketches of the animals and we won't upset them and drive them away.

"We can do the science experiments there instead of having to go up and down to class. I want to see different birds and newts."