Staff have gone above and beyond to inspire the next generation of technologists, engineers, designers and artists as part of an inspiring creative week of learning at The Prince of Wales School.

Children arrived at the Dorchester School in Maiden Castle Road on Monday morning to the unique sight of staff dressed as 'Whos from Whoville', the fictional setting of Dr. Seuss' Christmas-Tale 'How the Grinch stole Christmas'.

Upon entering the main school building, children were shocked to come across a snow-covered Winterland where their main school hall once stood!

The Winterland included the biggest Christmas tree many of the children had ever seen and Father Christmas himself riding a sleigh full of presents. The sleigh of course was being pulled by the world-famous Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer who was joined in Winterland by a penguin, a donkey as well as their many snowman friends!

Speaking about the surprise, Year 3 pupil Alfie said, “We all thought we were coming to school for a normal day of learning. It’s a real surprise to find out our school hall has been transported to another world! It’s a very exciting place to be!”

Headteacher Gary Spracklen said: "Here at the Prince of Wales School we constantly strive for a rich, broad and balanced curriculum that inspires all our children to learn. What better way to inspire our young learners to consider careers in the creative industries than to transport them to a fully immersive Winterland where they need to design, make and be super creative to ensure that everyone has the very best Christmas ever!"

Deputy headteacher, Ann Johnson said: “It’s taken the team here at The Prince of Wales School lots of time to plan out the individual elements to ensure the week ahead truly inspires all our young creatives. We’ve worked with a number of partner organisations to make this happen.

"Over the weekend, a dedicated team of our own staff came into school and secretly transformed our school hall into the space you now see before you. A big thank you to everyone who has made this possible."

Chairman of governors Kevin Tatchell said: “This transformation has only been possible because of the hard work of a dedicated staff team. At The Prince of Wales School we have an ethos that welcomes all learners and seeks to inspire everyone to learn. Our staff care deeply about providing the very best experience for each and every child at our school - today is further testament to that!”

With such inspirational practice, it is perhaps no surprise that The Prince of Wales School has it’s many plaudits. Following its most recent inspection visit, Her Majesty’s School Inspectorate ‘OFSTED’ wrote the following about the school’s approach, “Leaders have ensured that the school’s engaging curriculum is inspiring pupils to learn. There is a breadth of coverage which is underpinned by numerous opportunities for pupils to develop their writing”, this was further support with the words, “...teachers look for every opportunity to supplement the curriculum with activities and events that inspire pupils and fire their imagination”.