THEY are the Southampton students who will soon be given the chance to explore new worlds.

Virtual reality technology will be brought to Freemantle Church of England Community Academy from September to encourage children to learn new things.

Headteacher Kevin Barnett said: “This will allow us to take all our children to places they never thought possible; a real stimulus for writing, thinking and exploration.”

The students are constantly encouraged to develop new skills and learn through a series of initiatives run throughout the year.

Mr Barnett said: “To broaden pupils’ experiences beyond the classroom we have our raised woodland walkway and recently started our talking with dinosaurs area, with life size dinosaurs. This encourages pupils from all backgrounds and with differing levels of academic skills to sit and read with dinosaurs while a backing track of rainforest sounds and dinosaur roars plays to stimulate their senses and give an ambience of calm.”

All children are also given the opportunity to host Freemantle Radio, which is broadcast live into the school’s playground in the mornings. A forest school is also run on site to boost children’s confidence and help them develop problem solving skills.

Other schemes such as ‘Maths no Problem’ and ‘Talk for Writing’ are also run. “We are already seeing significant impact in the children’s ability and attitudes to learning as a result of these schemes,” Mr Barnett said.