School pupils have taken one small step into the garden and a giant leap for schoolkind by growing seeds that have been sent into space.

In September, British astronaut Tim Peake took 2kg of seeds on his voyage to the International Space Station so they could spend time in reduced gravity before returning to Earth later this month.

Year five children at Thomas Willingale School in Loughton were one of the lucky classes to receive a packet of 100 rocket seeds, and are now growing them alongside a control packet of seeds which have not left earth.

The pupils will not know which is which until the project ends in several weeks.

So far, both sets of seeds germinated on the third day, and teacher Aileen Holland said the children will watch carefully as they continue to grow.

Tim Peake wished good luck to the pupils.

He said: “It’s possible that among those pupils taking part in the project are the young people who will help mankind reach the next big milestones in space exploration for the benefit of people on Earth.

“I hope the RHS Campaign for School Gardening’s Rocket Science experiment will spark curiosity and wonder amongst young people who may become the next generation of horticultural scientists.”

It is hoped that the experiment will encourage the pupils to think about how to preserve human life on other planets in the future, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions and the difficulties of growing fresh food in challenging climates.

Head teacher Teresa Phillips said: “We are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science.

“This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our children to think more scientifically and share their findings with the whole school.”