Children at the King's infant school had a very special visitor in the form of Sophie the Chestnut pony.
The beautiful little horse belongs to five-year-old Poppy Holding, who brought her in to meet her classmates in the Junior and Infant Division of King's School.
The pony was brought into school as part of its efforts to teach children about nature.
Poppy’s mum, Jo Holding, who lives and works on Butterlands Farm in Wincle, said: “On such occasions many parents seem to bring in their pet rabbits, but as King’s has this beautiful Gingko meadow I thought I’d bring in Sophie.
“Poppy has been learning to ride since she was about two-and-a-half years old and is very comfortable on the horse and I thought it would be nice for her friends at school to get acquainted with her too.”
Infant Reception teacher Nicky Partington said: “Poppy really was the star of the day, but it also gave us an opportunity to talk about life on the farm and how horses used to be used for working in the fields and were really beasts of burden.”
“Now that spring has finally sprung and our Gingko meadow is in full bloom it gives us the wonderful opportunity to bring the classroom outside for the children.”
She added: “We have been looking at leaves, birds and insects.
“We have even set up a special bug hotel with all the right flora and fauna to make the bugs’ lives happy ones.
“It’s all about introducing children to the wonder and complexity of nature and making sure that they respect the natural world around them. Hopefully their generation will make a better job of caring for it than our own generation do.
Poppy said: “I love my little pony, I really do.”
