WILLOW Tree pupils set sail on a special mission to build models of the Titanic, and astonished teachers upon their return.

The Sutton Leach Y2 pupils were given the task as part of a larger project on the doomed cruise-liner, whose centenary is this year.

25 models made it back to the classroom, the largest of which was about a metre long, the smallest a foot. Most were made of cardboard, but one was made from wood, and the largest model made creative use of CDs as portholes.

“We didn’t expect the amount of models, let alone for them to be so detailed,” said Patricia Burrows, teaching assistant for the Y2 class. “Some of them even had little lifeboats. They’re so proud of themselves.”

The models are the focal points of a striking display on the Titanic, taking up an entire corridor at the school.

As well as the models, pupils have watched clips on the Titanic’s building, the fateful maiden voyage and its sinking. The topic’s work has focused on literacy and history, with kids writing articles as though they were a reporter at the time.

“They’ve really taken the project on board,” Patricia continued. “We gave them the model homework as a nice thing to do at home with parents – rather than the usual reading or writing, it was something fun they could do at home.”

The Titanic was built in 1911 and sunk on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Captain Edward John Smith married St Helens-born Sarah Eleanor Pennington in Winwick Parish Church. Smith died on the night of the Titanic’s sinking; April 15, 1912.