This young Ilford pupil has clearly made a new friend he can’t have been expecting to meet.

Youngsters at Highlands Primary School in Highlands Gardens, Ilford, were amazed to see owls swooping around their playground on Monday.

The lucky students, including six-year-old Haris Rashid seen here calmly meeting Barny the barn owl, were benefiting from a visit by company Bird Talk.

Experts help teach children about our feathered friends by bringing them into the classroom.

Pupils aged between four and six got to pose with owls, falcons and hawks and ask questions about their food and habitats.

Haris said: “ I felt happy when the owl was on my shoulder, it felt fluffy.”

The visit ties into the school’s reception and year one classes’ learning, including helping them to meet the animals from children’s book The Gruffalo.

There were six birds in total, also including a little owl and an eagle owl.

Teacher Richard Morse said: “It’s a stimulus for the children.

“It’s traching them about the enviroment and caring for other living things.”