SCHOOL pupils want to cultivate their business sense as well as their greens by creating a brand new vegetable patch.

Youngsters at Sutherland Primary School in Blurton hope to reclaim wasted space at the front of their school so that they can grow, market and sell their own produce.

Initially, the vegetables would be taken home for parents to eat. But if a trial proves successful, the school wants to combine science with business and hold its own sales.

Children from the Beaconsfield Drive school came up with the plan themselves after its student council met to discuss ways to improve the school.

And it is now entering The Sentinel and Barclays' Class Act competition in the hope of landing one of three £5,000 prizes to get the project off the ground.

Year one teacher Donna Worthington, who runs the student council, said: "The council has representation from foundational level right through to year six.

"We sat down as a group and talked about ways we could improve the school and what might be a good idea for the competition and decided that this is something we'd all like.

"We already have healthy school status, and this idea just follows on from that.

"But, at the same time, it's a way we can link in with the community, distribute to the parents and hopefully move on to doing a sale if things go well."

Ms Worthington added: "It will involve the whole school in extra-curricular activity but also help with several subjects.

"Science is one thing, but there's also maths and business elements because the older pupils can get involved in the sales side of it.

"The idea has gone down really well with other pupils when they've been told and other members of staff too.

Ms Worthington explained that, despite the school's healthy status, children have a lot to learn about their greens.

She said: "A lot of the children don't know much about vegetables or even that they grow underground, especially the younger ones. It's a way of helping to learn about different sorts of vegetables, as well as where they come from.

"A lot of the children don't know about the different types of vegetable. Obviously we're limited by the climate to what we can grow, but we can show them things they wouldn't usually have."

The idea has gone down well with pupils at the school, and they certainly have ambitious plans for their new allotment.

Year five pupil Brandon Price, aged nine, from Blurton, said: "It will help us with our school work in things like science and we can sell vegetables to our parents cheaper than at the market."

Year two pupil Charlotte Rogers, aged seven, from Blurton, added: "Our parents won't need to go the shops, we can grow food and they'll only need to come here."