Windmill Primary School pupils taken to another planet by Space Labvisit

Pupils at Windmill Primary School in Wokingham were encouraged to look to the skies for inspiration after a fascinating visit by workers from the Look Out Discovery Centre in Bracknell.

The science and discovery-themed education centre and visitor attraction sent its inflatable tent called Starlab to the school, and children from Rose Street Class used its presence at school to take a journey around the furthest reaches of the galaxy and still be back in time for the end of the school day.

“It was a fascinating experience for the children,” said Year One class teacher Mrs Scragg. “Sian, the Look Out Centre visitor, explained things to them in an extremely effective and simple way and got them totally involved with the subject. First they got to learn about space suits and dress up, before the countdown began and then they were off on their mission.

“Inside the Star Lab, the children saw some amazing photos of the moon, Mars, Saturn and the Earth, taken from outer space. They had a chance to display their knowledge of the moon missions, and also to learn a bit more about the constellations we can see in the sky, and the stories behind some of their names.”

The visit was an end of term treat for the pupils of Windmill Primary, which opened its doors in September 2013 and is a part of the GLF group of schools, a Surrey-based multi-academy trust which now runs over a dozen schools across the south east, based on a model of strong collaborative learning.

“The visit of the Space Lab and the chance to get inside its tent, and feel they really were being transported off to another world, is something that really caught their imaginations,” said Mrs Scragg. “Sian said she was really impressed by their level of knowledge of the subject before she’d even come here, and it was such a fascinating experience for them all, I’m sure that will only increase.”