Monday 30 March 2009

Aircraft for classroom.

Bedlam view.

An 82ft-long commercial aircraft is to take teaching to dizzy heights.

A Short-360 is about to become Britain’s first aircraft-based classroom for primary school pupils. School children at Kingsland Primary School in Stoke on Trent applauded excitedly as the body of the old aircraft was delivered on an articulated vehicle.

The plane was decommissioned after thousands of hours flying businessmen on routes to Ireland and Spain. It was purchased for less than £20,000 – which is half the price of a mobile classroom – so well done Headmaster. A good bit of initiative there.

Headteacher, David Lawrence, said the plane will be fitted with whiteboards, desks and laptops to make it a 'user-friendly learning space' for a class of 30 pupils.




Mr Lawrence said, 'We wanted an outside classroom and talked to the children
about the kind of space they wanted and they came up with the idea of a plane
themselves so we thought we would see how we could go about buying one
.'

However, teachers and pupils stared with dismay as the decommissioned plane was delivered. To begin with it scraped the side of a terraced house, then after two hours of choreographing a narrow gateway, it hit into a lamppost on the school driveway.

Mr Lawrence said, 'I didn't plan for this, but things don't always go as you
expect them to. Once it is finally in place it will be great for the kids.'


The school teamed up with Creative Partnerships, a government learning programme, to dream up the fantasy classroom, which has really taken off with staff and pupils.

One way to save money – teachers take note.




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End of post - Aircraft for classroom.

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