It is halfway through the first term for hundreds of Kent children making their tentative first steps into the world of learning.

Over the past few weeks, our photographers have been criss-crossing the county, capturing the moments that will stay with these youngsters and their parents forever.

Once again we have brought all of these pictures together in our hugely popular First Class specials - brilliant, colourful supplements that appear in the Mercury today (Wednesday).

It's an unmissable opportunity to have a lasting keep-sake of your child's start to school life, so make sure you pick up a copy.

You can see the beaming faces of pupils at the Deal schools of Sandown, Hornbeam, The Downs, St Mary's Catholic Primary, Deal Parochial, Sholden, Warden House, Kingsdown & Ringwould ans St Margaret's-at-cliffe.

In Dover little learners said 'cheese' at Vale View, White Cliffs Primary College, Shatterlocks, Whitfield and Aspen, St Richard's, Priory Fields, Riverside, Charlton CofE, St Mary's, Aycliffe, St Martin's and Dover College.

And pupils starting at the village schools were not forgotten. Youngsters posed for our photographers at Lydden, Sibertswold, Langdon, Northbourne, Cartwright and Kelsey, Green Park, Selstead, Worth, Nonington, Guston, St Faith's Preparatory, Eythorne and Elvington, EastrySandwich Infants, Northbourne Park, Temple Ewell.

The supplement is inside the Deal, Dover and Sandwich editions of the Mercury, on sale from today (Wednesday, October 10.)

You can also buy pictures online - where they are available to order now.