SMALL but fearsome dragons were stalking the corridors of a Malvern school to mark Chinese New Year.

The pre-prep department at Malvern St James Girls’ School spent last week having fun and getting creative with art and craft materials to produce their own multi-coloured dragons to welcome the Year of the Horse.

Headmistress Patricia Woodhouse said: “At MSJ we love to see our girls working together, getting stuck in, and learning through purposeful play.

"It is now an accepted wisdom to encourage learning through play in younger girls but at MSJ it is a theme we aim to carry through to our older pupils.

"Not only does it foster a spirit of enquiry which can be the foundation for all sorts of educational endeavour, including scientific research, literary originality, mathematical enquiry and artistic inventiveness; but it makes learning a genuinely exciting, engaging and fun experience.”

Mrs Woodhouse added: “In addition, it is particularly useful in today's global society for pupils, even the youngest ones, to be aware of and engaged in activities which showcase other cultures.”