25 January 2013 Last updated at 12:37 ET

Pigeon lessons for Kingsmead Technology College pupils

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Teachers said the benefits to pupils were "endless"

Pigeon racing has been introduced to the curriculum at a secondary school in Staffordshire.

For the next five years, Kingsmead Technology College in Hednesford will be running a pilot scheme to teach pupils about the traditional sport.

Teachers said they believed pigeon racing could also help with lessons in maths, physics, geography and biology.

As part of the project, pupils will enter pigeon races and other competitions.

Teacher and loft manager Richard Chambers said the benefits pigeon racing could give students at the 1,300-pupil school were "endless".

Contours of the earth

Mr Chambers, who is a fourth-generation pigeon fancier, said: "I've been flying pigeons since I was about five years old and I know that value of it to me as a child.

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"The benefits are absolutely endless - you go from maths, where they have to work out who's going to win the race by calculating the velocities, to geography with looking at how the birds are going to travel home by using the contours of the earth."

The birds have been donated to the school from pigeon fanciers from across England.

The Midlands National Flying Club has also backed the move to introduce racing at the school, saying it would help make the pastime more popular.

As part of the project, pupils from nearby primary schools also come to the secondary school to learn about the basics of pigeons and the sport of racing.