Two new animals are ready to prance into their new home at a Maidstone school.

Already home to some adorable puppies, Five Acre Wood School in Boughton Lane now has its very own stables as it prepares to host two ponies.

The ponies are set to be loved and cared for by pupils at the school for children with special educational needs.

Fundraiser at the school Alex Meaders said: "We have children who are tense all the time and have behavioural difficulties, but they relax around these ponies.

"They'll be looked after by our pupils, it gives them really important life skills.

"A lot of employers don't hire or aren't able to hire people with special educational needs, but by learning stable management it's giving our kids a skill they could use in a job."

The idea for a stable came at Christmas when the school invited ponies into a class.

After seeing the effect the young foals had, Lulu's Pony Parties, based in Maidstone, offered two ponies to stay full time.

The school has enlisted the help of dozens of volunteers to build a home for the animals.

Mrs Meaders said: "We've had a lot of help from a Lloyds Bank in Gillingham over the years.

"Sadly they've closed but they wanted a swan song.

"Their boss let the whole team have time off to help us with a project, that's when we decided it was a chance build the stable.

"These were men and women who work behind desks all day, but they've managed to clear a field and build all of this, putting up fences and laying paths. They really threw themselves into it.

"If we had to pay labour costs this would have to come around £60,000.

"When we paid for materials Challenge Fencing and Gallagher both took off a lot of their normal price, everyone has been so supportive."

The pair of ponies are the latest animals to live at the school and help pupils learn.

Mrs Meaders said: "We have therapy dogs in class and guinea pigs, recently some ducklings hatched in class. We're becoming a little menagerie.

"It's so exciting, especially for the children. They see this egg as something they eat but there's a real little life in there and they got to see it hatching."

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone.