Thomas Ferens Academy pupils set sail on virtual ship

PUPILS from one of the city's newest schools have set sail on a virtual trip around the world.

Youngsters from the Thomas Ferens Academy took part in the launch of their One World Project,

Sea shanties: The Roaring Forties perform for pupils.
Quest for knowledge: Town crier Michael Wood plays the role of admiral of the HMS Thomas Ferens for the new academy's One World project. Pictures: Jack Harland

It is the first project to be launched at the school since it opened four weeks ago.

Over the next eight weeks, pupils will visit the five cities the school is linked with, including Rotterdam in Holland, Negata in Japan, Freetown in Sierra Leone, Raleigh in North Carolina and Reykjavik in Iceland.

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They "set sail" on HMS Thomas Ferens to Rotterdam, their first destination.

Lisa Taylor, assistant head teacher at the school, said: "We have a nautical theme running right through the school. The children will look at the cities and the countries they are in and it will be a cross-curricular project.

"This was a metaphorical learning ship and on the screens all around our One World space in the school we had HMS Thomas Ferens now boarding."

At the launch, town crier Michael Woods acted as the honorary ship's admiral.

There was also a sea shanty group called the Roaring Forties.

Pupils will use the theme of the project in lessons, for example, in English they will study Anne Frank's Diaries.

For Reykjavik, the pupils will, among other things, study the Cod Wars.

Mrs Taylor said: "The pupils thought it was great, they really joined in.

"They loved the Roaring Forties. The group really got them going and joining in.

"Michael Woods was awesome, He really got them to pledge their allegiance to learning. It was great to see parents there, joining in."

Thomas Ferens Academy opened at the beginning of this month. The £25 million building in Hall Road was built by Sewell Group as part of the £400 million Building Schools For The Future scheme and is sponsored by the University Of Hull.

Many pupils who were at the now-closed Sir Henry Cooper School transferred to the academy this term.