WHEN the pupils of Cheselbourne Village school returned on after the Christmas holidays they discovered a mysterious item in their playground: a sword stuck in a stone.

When the pupils first saw it they were amazed. Gabriel said: “That must be King Arthur’s sword.” Harry wanted to find out more information about the strange sword.

In a bid to find out more, students have been investigating the sword and stone and reporting on their findings in class.

Neighbours to the school reported hearing “strange noises in the dead of night.”

During the pupils' investigations, the school received a special parcel containing an old scroll and a shiny crown.

The parcel was sent by the magical wizard, Merlin. In his note he explained: “Whoso pulleth out this sword in this stone and anvil, is the rightborn King of England.”

Since then, every student has attempted to pull the sword from the stone, but none have yet succeeded. Parents, teachers, governors and school visitors have all also tried to pull it out, but Cheselbourne school is still waiting to find out who is the, “Rightborn King of England.”

Headteacher Mary See said: "It’s been great to come back after the Christmas holidays straight into something that has gripped all the children’s attention and set imaginations running wild.

"This most recent exciting discovery is set to last all half term and form the basis and inspiration for exciting learning across our whole curriculum, from Anglo-Saxons in History to adventure stories in Literacy.

"The wonder of our small school is that we can run exciting projects like this to engage our school community. From school governors to three-year-old pre-schoolers, everyone has been caught by the magic of the sword and the quest to see who will be the king or queen of Cheselbourne."