PRIMARY schoolchildren discovered they had unexpected ancestors when they took a DNA test as part of an anti-racism project.

Youngsters at Rayleigh Primary School, in Love Lane, Rayleigh, discovered their Eastern European, Indian and even Jamaican heritage- despite no hints in their physical appearances.

The school worked with testing company Living DNA to complete the project, with the aim of learning about the positives of migration and addressing common misconceptions about race.

More than 30 pupils aged between five and 11 took the test before the summer holidays and had their personal results revealed to them in one-on-one sessions with the ancestry testing company in their first week back at school.

Headteacher Peter Malcolm said: “Society is changing. Children are surrounded by confusing messages about increased migration and Brexit, and as a result can feel very separate from anyone they don’t feel is the same as them.

“That’s why we wanted to bring this education into the classroom, to show that we’re not so different from one another after all.

“We were delighted when Living DNA agreed to work with us. Their involvement helped us to win the bid for the Erasmus project and provided an extra layer of detail and credibility to the project.

“Seeing the children’s reactions to their results and their overall enthusiasm for the project has been fantastic. They have been so excited to find out where they’re really from - it’s been truly eye-opening.”

Living DNA’s high-definition test showed pupils at the school not only the countries where their ancestors lived, but also some of the regions within those countries, covering 80 countries worldwide.

The results surprised some students while others found it confirmed what they had already discovered in their own family history research.

David Nicholson, founder of Living DNA, said: “We celebrate what makes every individual unique but we also believe that when people see others as ‘us versus them,’ real problems can arise.

“We are living at a time where everyone is building walls and there has never been more division in the world than today. That’s why it’s important to educate children from a young age that within our DNA lies the fact that we are all connected to one another.

“Working with Rayleigh School has been an incredible experience and only confirmed what we already knew; that there is a great need for this type of education in schools.”

Rayleigh School, with support from Living DNA, bid to be part of a wider Erasmus learning project which is spread across five European schools from Malta, Croatia, France and Poland.