Newbury school children use toilet roll to make a neck brace for an injured duckling

Pupils at Beenham Primary School have been nursing the poorly duck back to health after taking five ducklings under their wing two weeks ago.

The reception class in in Newbury, West Berkshire, received five mystery eggs - sparking suggestions that they could contain dinosaurs, guinea pigs or crocodiles.

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But instead, five golden ducklings hatched days later - including the injured bird which has been named Gaby.

The staff and pupils quickly noticed after hatching that the final duck Gaby had a strange looking neck.

They realised it was suffering from a wry neck, a common affliction that affects ducklings which means they're unable to lift their head up on their own.

The school were determined to look after Gaby, and after finding out about the condition and communicating with the company that originally gave them the eggs, the school found out they needed to fashion a neck brace to support her recovery.

A brace was made from cutting out a cardboard ring from a toilet roll and then filling it with cotton wool.

It has already had a positive effect, and the school hopes that along with regular neck massages, Gaby's neck will soon be back to normal.

Headteacher Amy Donnelly stated that the drive behind the long-term project was teaching the children to learn and care for animals.

She also said of the school: "We are all animal lovers."

Mrs Donnelly believes having pupils learn to look after the five ducks will teach them responsibility, one of Beenham Primary School's core values.

As the ducks grow bigger, the responsibility will be shared throughout the school, with breakfast and after-school clubs waking the ducks up and putting them back to sleep.

The school's pond will also be re-designed to better suit the ducks in the future.