Danetree pupils reach for the stars after Astrodome visit

​​Year Five pupils at Danetree Primary School in West Ewell had an out of this world trip to the far reaches of the galaxy recently – and all without leaving the school premises.

As part of the Autumn term learning topic ‘Stargazers’, pupils were treated to a visit from the Kent SEPnet Astrodome project, which brought an inflatable representation of the wonders of space to the school for children to discover more about the stars, planets and space exploration.

“This visit left an impact on the pupils like a meteor crater!,” said teacher Ellie Dowler, who was involved in running the day.

“They absolutely loved it – we heard ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ all day, and they asked loads of questions. It was a brilliant educational experience, as they got to site in a virtual space shuttle and go on a guided tour of the stars and planets. With people like Tim Peake having been in the news so much recently, the children are already well familiar with the topic and themes, but to have a visit like this really does take that familiarity and enthusiasm to another level.”

The visit continued the brisk pace of what has been a busy term so far at Danetree. In September the school, which is part of the Surrey-based GLF schools multi-academy trust, expanded significantly to become a three-form entry school, one of the biggest in the region, in addition to opening its own nursery.

Ms Dowler said the feedback she had received from pupils confirmed that the visit had been  roaring success. “It really fired up their enthusiasm,” she explained. 

“I’ve read comments from them about how they could feel their hearts beating faster with excitement, how they felt they were taken to other worlds and how they can’t wait for the next lesson to follow it up. And for all the interplanetary experience, it’s the classroom that counts the most, and the great thing is they can’t wait to be there to put the new knowledge into action.” 

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