Rotary Corner: Headsets boost for school's STEM lab

St John's Church School is a primary school based in the heart of the Ortons. The Ortons has some of the highest numbers of children from deprived backgrounds in the whole of the city.

In 2023 the Rotary Club of Peterborough Ortons had a request from the school to help them to set up a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Lab. The Club had previous experience in this field, having sponsored a similar project at Orton Bushfield Academy, a secondary school close to St John's and which takes many of their students when they move up to secondary school.

The two schools liaise closely and, in recent years, particularly on STEM projects, so the Rotary Club were delighted to help.

After much research of options for the project, the school decided that purchasing 3D headsets would be the best use of the funding. The Club raised £1,250, matched by £750 from a Rotary District grant, totalling £2,000, and so contributed enough to start the project.

The headsets have arrived at the school and training sessions are booked for pupils and staff. Needless to say they are all very excited at the prospect of putting the equipment to full use and already the project has spawned a Tech Club with enthusiastic pupils embracing the new technology.

The School commented: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us, as this brings learning to life for the children via the virtual world. We will be using the VR equipment in a number of ways to support and deepen learning for children. Currently, we have used the equipment to show how we will use this technology to help preserve archaeological sites so everyone can access Flag Fen (even if you live in Australia). The children working on the project were amazed how realistic the sites they visited were and stated that it felt like they were actually there. Our vision is to use this technology to bring the learning to life and experience learning in a different way that broadens children's outlook and aspirations."