Pupils were put through their paces in an annual Iron Man competition overseen by army reservists.

The event at Westlands School, Sittingbourne, saw 48 pupils split into four teams, take on a gruelling assault course.

It was held as part of ‘Uniform to Work Day’, which aims to raise the profile of the Armed Forces. The children had to work as a team to complete tasks like lifting heavy rucksacks and crawling under camouflage nets, all against the clock.

Year 7 pupil Ellie Wood said: “This was a fantastic activity! The weights were really heavy, I tripped, but I got straight back up. I can’t wait for next year.”

A local infantry unit also bought along decommissioned sniper rifles for the students to handle as well as provide the opportunity for them to talk to infantrymen and medics about life in the army.

Deputy head teacher Ana Gibson, who is also a captain in the reservists, praised all who came and helped. She said: “The pupils love getting involved and we thank Rochester C Company for being so generous with their time.”