Ambitious pupils at a primary school in Doncaster have set their sights on the stars with a project that sent a teddy into space.

The Year 2 pupils from Hexthorpe Primary School, part of the Astrea Academy Trust, launched Cosmo the bear from their school on 28 September at 11.45 am.

The intrepid teddy managed to reach the stratosphere armed with a real-time tracker and camera, before falling back down to earth in Coventry.

Pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 managed to raise £1,300 for their “Classtronauts” project, which had to be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, by baking cakes and taking part in a sponsored fun run.

Year 1 teacher Bethany Fox, who co-created the initiative, said it had made the children more enthusiastic about science.

“The children thoroughly enjoyed being part of this once in a life time opportunity and many are now aspiring to become astronauts in the future!” added Louise Budhi, who also led the project.