Going 'out of this world' to improve Gosport school children's digital skills

School children, aged 7 to 14 years old are benefitting from a programme of space themed digital skills activities, led by the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation.

A community event is also part of the programme, taking place at Gosport Discovery Centre today (Tuesday 18 February), 10.00am to 4pm. Families can take part in space themed digital activities such as programming 'Moon buggies' to navigate a mock outer space landscape.

Workshops at schools across Gosport

The 'Solent to Space' workshops aim to boost their digital skills learning, enabling them to meet their educational goals and set the foundations for their future economic security. 

The programme of workshops is being rolled out in primary and secondary schools across the borough of Gosport during February and March 2025. This follows a successful first event, held at Kings Academy Bay House.

300 Year 9 students (13 and 14 year olds) took on the challenge of digitally researching and interpreting Google Earth data of Gosport, from as far back as 1999, to plot the area's changes. They will go on to generate a piece of work to express what they think the Gosport area should look like in the future.

Reflecting on the first event, Nicki Craven, Careers Leader and Head of Careers & Futures at King's Academy Bay House, said: "We were absolutely delighted to welcome the University of Portsmouth to King's Academy Bay House. The activity was a really good opportunity to introduce students to both satellite imagery and historic mapping, whilst also considering how the local area has changed over time. 

"Throughout the session students used transferable skills such as communication, listening and teamwork, and developed a greater awareness of digital skills. With the rapid pace of technological change, embracing digital skills is essential for success, now and in the future.

"Some of our students are already planning to take part in the forthcoming Space and Place Challenge and developing their ideas for the future of Gosport."

An opportunity to learn new skills

Year 9 student, Olivia said: "The workshop was really fun and enjoyable. It was nice to learn some new skills using Google Earth." Another Year 9 student, Lilly-Rose, added: "It was really interesting to learn new digital skills! The members of staff were really nice and helpful, definitely something I'd do again."

Primary school workshops will be taking the theme of 'space' to set children the challenge of sourcing information online about the moon landings and deciphering fact from fiction, to produce written pieces of work for assessment. Primary school teachers will also benefit from the programme by having the opportunity to take advantage of continuing professional development sessions in areas such as coding.

Raising aspirations among Gosport schoolchildren

Dr Jen Gupta, Associate Professor in Public Engagement and Outreach from the University's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, said: "We live in an increasingly digital world, so it's vital that children leave school with sound digital skills and a good understanding of how to effectively apply them.  

"As a University with an ambition to promote social and economic inclusion across the region, we are delighted to be working with Gosport Borough Council on this digital skills project, while at the same time raising awareness of the wide range of space careers available in our region. Space is such a huge industry in our area, with more than 120 space companies including Airbus, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Spur Electron."

Councillor Peter Chegwyn, Leader of Gosport Borough Council, said: "We're excited to be working with the University to inspire children in the borough and give them a taste of exciting potential careers that lie ahead of them. We hope this investment in our schools and young people will help raise aspirations, and encourage them to develop useful skills for joining our future workforce." 

The workshops also highlight the University's role in the global space industry. The University is home to a Mission Design facility to help people design spacecraft and missions, ASTA Technology - the UK's only ESA-accredited provider of space engineering training - and is a founding partner of Space South Central.

It is also developing plans for a Portsmouth Research Institute for Space Missions (PRISM) which will bring all its space activity under one roof, including mission design, and will be closely connected to the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG).

About Gosport's Digital Strategy

Gosport, a Digital Peninsula

We know that Gosport's residents and businesses need good quality digital skills and infrastructure to be able to reach their potential. Our strategy to create a Digital Peninsula aims to boost our economy whilst tackling digital exclusion among some of our more vulnerable residents. The programme was awarded £1m by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and it runs until 2025.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

Published 18 Febryary 2025