Kids In Bucknall, England, Soon Going To School "First Class"

When the staff at the Kingsland, C.E. Primary School in Bucknall, England  went looking for an outdoor learning space, they said they wanted "something different." They talked about what they would like to see, and  someone suggested "an airplane."  Well, that's just what they got.

School admistrators found a Short 360 that was about to be scrapped, and bought if  for just over $18,000 for conversion into an innovative classroom for the school. It arrived recently on the back of a flatbed truck, and a project is underway to convert the old fuselage into a learning center.

Head teacher, David Lawrence, said on the project blog: "The children have been involved in the design and project management of the King's Wings and will regularly use the airplane to help them learn," .

The school says the program is not only about an outdoor classroom. "The children’s imagination has been fired up by the idea and they are enthused and motivated and we are sure that this will lead to improved attendance, give us better and more opportunities for speaking and listening and will raise attainment," Lawerence wrote on the blog. "The project has certainly raised aspirations and has caught the wider community’s interest. Our aim is to use the aeroplane as a community learning resource too.” 

We at ANN suppose it's probably way more useful than turning the old airplane into soda cans. Thanks to Pablo Productions Ltd 2009 for permission to use the photographs.

FMI: http://www.thekingswings.com/