AN adorable dog "employed" by a Wirral school to help out their farm is well on his way to becoming a fully-fledged sheep dog.

Bebington High Sports College welcomed "staff member" Leif - a 10-month-old border collie - in May.

Since then, the adorable ball of fur has come on in leaps and bounds, becoming a vital asset on the school's working farm, which has sheep, pigs, goats, chickens and ducks.

Wirral Globe:
Leif gets to know one of his new friends. Picture: Paul Heaps.

Leif is currently partway through a training course at a farm near Burton Mere, where renowned sheep dog trainer Anni Ritakallio is putting him through his paces.

Dianne Moore, from the school, said: "He's been there since last Tuesday and will return part-trained just before Christmas. He'll then continue his training with our sheep."

Leif – whose name is Dutch and means ‘Dear’, chosen as he will be looking after the Zwartbles sheep at the farm – will be kept away from those who are not involved with the school’s animal care courses.

– in September to work with animal management students.

Pete Fearon, co-ordinator for land-based science at the school, will have lead responsibility for the day-to-day supervision of Leif and his instructional needs.

He said: "I went up to a farm in Cumbria over the Easter holidays which we've made a link with. It's a sheep farm and I saw the way the sheep dogs were working and I thought it would fit in really well with what we're doing here."

Bebington High became the country's 100th school to have a farm and produces organic meat and vegetables for school meals and cookery classes.

Wirral Globe:
Pete Fearon with sheep dog Leif. Picture by Paul Heaps.