SCHOOL pupils relinquished a morning of their holidays to herald the arrival of two goats to their eco garden today.

Former Churchfield Primary pupils Aaron Gosling 11, Jocy Larnyo 11, Ramani Bingham 11, and Kaiden De Souza Spencer, 11, were part of the original school council which dreamed up the idea of keeping animals.

The goats, which arrived by lorry, will join five chickens, four rabbits, and two guinea pigs in a mini farm which was created with the help of horticultural college Capel Manor College.

Tony Cox, site manager for the Latymer Road school, Edmonton, said the aim was for their feed to be paid for using proceeds from a tuckshop set up and staffed by members of the school council.

He said: “The idea of the garden is for pupils to get used to natural cycles. Some of them didn’t even know that eggs came from chickens before we started.

“The four boys loved it, and the goats loved them as well, they were following them around in circles. The children look after them during the week and teachers help out with the feeing at the weekends - the headteacher is there every other weekend.”

The 400sqm school garden, set up in June 2009, also contains a plant and vegetable plot for each yeargroup. Children plant vegetables from seeds, tend and water them, and then cook and eat the produce themselves.