YOUNGSTERS at Greater Grace School in Backford had a big surprise when it came to playing football in the playground this week.

The pupils were using old traffic cones as goal posts and were about to move the cones for a new game when, suddenly and surprisingly, out flew a great tit.

Upon further investigation, the children found a beautiful birds nest and a clutch of eggs underneath the cone.

A school spokesperson said: "It was an exciting occasion for everyone, as all staff were summoned to see the discovery.

"Our students are keen nature lovers and have decided to only use half of the playground so the birds can be protected. All students will be excitedly waiting to see what happens next as the eggs hatch."

Since the discovery earlier in the week, at least three of the eggs have hatched.

Greater Grace School is a small independent school on Church Lane which uses a Christian individualised curriculum for pupils aged five to 18.