The Yorkshire Dales is to be turned into an extra classroom for pupils at a primary school.

Youngsters at Our Lady of Victories, in Guard House, Keighley, will be learning all about conservation, map-reading and flora and fauna — and be in line for a special award.

At the end of the ten-month project, they hope to win the Discovery Award run by the John Muir Trust, which encourages the discovery and conservation of wild places.

The pupils, aged between seven and 11, accompanied by staff and parents, will spend a day each month in the company of Yorkshire Dales National Park staff and volunteers.

Back in school they will share their new knowledge with the other pupils through the school’s radio programmes, assemblies and website, and will try to encourage more people to visit the Dales.

They have already tasted what it will be like at a walk earlier this year, which sparked the idea for the broader project, said the school’s personal health social education co-ordinator, Michelle Wilson. “The children will learn so much about the countryside and contribute to its conservation,” she said. “The final challenge next year will be to walk the Three Peaks in July.

“We are looking forward to the whole experience — it should be very exciting.”

Their next venture — this Saturday — will be spending a day carrying out repairs to the historic Hoffman Kiln, at Settle.

Catherine Kemp, the National Park’s outreach officer, said: “We have organised a variety of activities for them to make it an unforgettable experience and they will be working towards achieving a Discovery Award run by the John Muir Trust.

“To get the award they each have to spend four days in the National Park discovering what makes it special, exploring its wild places and conserving its wildlife and habitats and then spend time back at home sharing their experiences with friends and family.

“This is the first time we have worked with a group of parents and their children on such a long project. It’s thanks to the commitment of the school staff, in particular Michelle Wilson and head teacher John Devlin, that we can do this.”

The project ends in July when group members will lead a hike taking in the Three Peaks.