PUPILS at St Francis School spent the day surrounded by animals to celebrate the school's namesake.

Today was no ordinary day at the school as all normal lessons were abandoned in favour of a much more exciting prospect - the chance to spend the day with animals of all descriptions.

It was also the day that people all over the world remember and celebrate St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

The Children spent the day enjoying the company of a number of animals and learning all about their personalities, habits and needs.

Visitors included the Screech Owl Sanctuary, the National Seal Sanctuary, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Amos and Penny Vets, Rosemullion Vets and Bilbo, the famous surf life saving dog.

Claire Fortey, headteacher, said: "We celebrate St Francis Day every year, but this time we wanted to do something very different and very special to mark this unique day, and involving animals seemed a great idea.

"At our school we place huge emphasis on the importance of kindness and compassion for each other, and today we could use the analogy of caring for pets and animals to reinforce this.

"St Francis himself is a symbol of caring for others, and the children have been learning all about his life and his devotion t helping others. It's been a great day and I would like to say a big thank you to one of our teachers, Mrs Jayne Banner, for organising this day for us, we have all had terrific fun."