Pupils are looking forward to becoming space biologists as they embark on a journey of discovery.

In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station on Soyuz 44S where they spent several months in microgravity before returning to Earth.

The seeds were then sent as part of Rocket Science, an educational project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency.

St John the Baptist Primary School, in Pebmarsh, near Halstead, is one of the 10,000 schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space which they will grow alongside seeds which haven't been to space.

Differences in the seeds will be monitored over seven weeks.

The pupils won't know which seed packet contains which seeds until all results have been collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.

The out-of-this-world science experiment will enable the pupils to think more about how we could preserve human life on another planet and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.

Headteacher Karen De Pietro said: "This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our pupils to think more scientifically and share their findings."

Rocket Science was developed by the UK Space Agency to celebrate British BSA astronaut Tim Peake's Principia mission.