Hunningley
Primary Academy
Case Study
Location
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
Project
Osborne Technologies’ Aurora
immersive classroom with
Igloo Vision software
Date
January 2023
Product
5x5m Immersive Classroom
Immersive classroom supports
academy in securing excellent
Ofsted rating.
Based in Barnsley and part of the United Learning Trust, Hunningley Primary Academy is a school for pupils
aged three to eleven. With their new contemporary immersive classroom and high-quality resources, learning is
brought to life, providing new experiences and helping pupils retain and recall information. The space is used to
enhance teaching across all subjects and has played a key role in Hunningley’s journey from being rated ‘Good and
Improving’ by Ofsted in 2021 to ‘Outstanding’ in 2023.
About Hunningley
Primary Academy
Hunningley Primary Academy approached Osborne Technologies to investigate the potential use of an immersive/
sensory space within their school. The school identified the need for an additional learning space to provide
engagement and fulfilment for pupils across the curriculum. An Aurora immersive classroom from Osborne
Technologies provides an experiential learning environment offering a captivating space for pupils to fully immerse
themselves into lessons, bringing their subjects to life.
The opportunity
Staff members from Hunningley Primary Academy had previous experience of another Aurora project installed at a
neighbouring school within the borough. As part of the process, Osborne Technologies provided a demonstration of
the full capabilities of an Aurora immersive space. Following the demonstration with staff and pupils and feedback
on their experience, it was clear that an immersive classroom was the way forward. The next steps were to find
a suitable space within the school to transform. By working with Osborne Technologies, the school had peace of
mind that the project would be fully managed from start to finish, including all planning, building works, electrics,
plastering, decoration and hardware installation.
Why Osborne
Technologies?
Hunningley has found that the immersive classroom is having a huge impact on student learning outcomes. It
improves their writing, makes it easier to communicate spatial concepts and keeps students engaged and curious
about the wider world. Ofsted were also wowed by the immersive classroom. The space has played a key role in
Hunningley’s journey from being rated ‘Good and Improving’ by Ofsted in 2021 to ‘Outstanding’ in 2023.
When you walk into the immersive classroom, it’s immediately obvious the room is a cross-curricular space, used
from nursery all the way up to year six. They are also working with their Special Educational Needs Coordinator to
devise a programme of calming content which can help SEN students. In December 2023, Father Christmas visited
the immersive classroom when staff transformed it into Santa’s Grotto. In the future Hunningley wants to open its
doors to other local schools so their students can also benefit from the immersive classroom.
The results
The solution
The Aurora installation team constructed a room within their existing 5x5 metre space complete with a raised floor
(for underfloor vibration) and accessibility ramps.
Osborne Technologies, in collaboration with the shared immersive space company, Igloo Vision provided their
Igloo Core Engine, enabling users to view and interact with any digital content. This includes software, such as
PowerPoint, Google Street View, 360° images, videos, interactive apps and VR headset content.
Underfloor
vibration
Surround
sound
Three walls of
stitched projection
Scent
delivery
Room command
system
Igloo Core
Engine
Once they identified a room for the project, it was time to design the new space to meet their specific requirements.
Osborne Technologies began converting a multi-purpose teaching space into a fully immersive classroom. With a
design agreed, the team began the process of delivering the project on behalf of the school.
The process
“The children love it. As soon
as we say the lesson is in the
immersive classroom there's
cheers and you can see the
impact it has on pupil outcomes.
The quality of writing is so much
better and it broadens their
understanding of concepts that
are quite hard to understand.”
Miss Hughes, Assistant Principal
Here are just some of the ways
teachers are using the immersive
classroom to enhance teaching:
Hunningley teachers told us the immersive
classroom is brilliant for generating ideas
and creative language. Year six students,
for example, used an immersive forest
environment to inspire writing when
studying Macbeth.
Inspiring creativity in
English literature
Changing schools can be challenging for
students and Hunningley have been helping
students with the transition by taking them
on a virtual tour of their new route to school
using Google Street View.
Preparing students
for secondary school
YouTube 360 is full of great history content
and students have been learning about
Vikings using immersive content made by
National Geographic.
Bringing history to life
with 360° video
Whether it’s a virtual trip to an erupting
volcano or wind farm, Hunningley teachers
have found that adding an immersive
element to a topic can give students a much
better spatial understanding of
core concepts.
Communicating complex
ideas in geography
Hunningley students have been using
the Igloo software to explore some of the
thousands of digitised museums and
galleries available through tools such as
Google Arts and Culture.
Visiting
Museums
Hunningley told us the immersive room
had been used to show content on the
Egyptians, Rio de Janeiro, castles, fairytales,
earthquakes, aquariums, art galleries,
places of worship, the Alps and the
Portuguese coast.
And loads
more
To find out how we can bring your next project to life,
contact us today:
+44 (0)1226 295455 / info@auroraimmersive.co.uk / auroraimmersive.co.uk