Badgers make new home in the grounds of Abbey Park School, Pershore

The animals are believed to have gone unnoticed for months but their presence at Abbey Park School, in Pershore, has now been confirmed.

Staff at the school say they are thrilled to have the badgers on school grounds and have already started work to protect their home.

Abbey Park is also taking the opportunity to teach children at the school about the animals in a unique way.

“We are thrilled to advise that we have a family of badgers who have made their home on the Abbey Park School grounds,” said Sam Faulkner, the school’s business manager.

The badgers have made a home at Abbey Park School (Image: Google Maps)

“They have gone unnoticed for a number of months, as they are at the far end of the playing field, but just before Christmas an ecologist visited school as he has been tracking the badgers and believed that they have made a second home here on site.

“It has been confirmed that the badgers have made a new home here on the school grounds.”

As badgers are a protected species, the school now has a responsibility to protect both the animals and their sett.

“We are working with Rooftop Housing, who have agreed to fund the installation of a new artificial sett along with CCTV cameras, so that our school pupils will be able to watch footage of the badgers as part of their curriculum.

READ MORE: Himbleton badger sett found with diesel rag stuffed inside

“The new sett enclosure will ensure the badgers stay in one area and make it easier for school to run as normal without affecting the protected badgers.

“The new sett will be enclosed by 1.8-metre mesh fencing designed to keep the pupils away from the sett, so as not to disturb the badgers. Rooftop will also fund an ecologist to come into school to deliver lessons about badgers.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us as a school, we will have our very own CountryFile show available to our classes.

“The artificial sett will be constructed during half term and then monitored regularly from then. “Lessons around the badgers will start after half term, so expect your child to come home talking badgers!”

A spokesperson for Rooftop Housing said: “Rooftop are thrilled to have been able to work in conjunction with the school and specialist ecologists to ensure that a family of badgers have a safe new home. 

"By funding the new artificial sett and providing wildlife trail cameras, we are supporting the Forest element of the school curriculum which enables the schoolchildren to learn about local wildlife while also safeguarding the badgers, that are a iprotected species in the UK.”