Schoolchildren from The Hurst School in Baughurst near Newbury experience geysers and glaciers on Iceland trip

A group of 49 Year 9 and 10 pupils and six staff members of the science department at The Hurst School embarked on a five-day trip to Iceland last month.

The educational adventure, which took place from May 2 to May 6, was the school’s first trip to the Nordic island country in more than 10 years.

The school party visited many of the country’s geological marvels such as geysers and glaciers, as well as recognisable tourist attractions like the striking Lutheran church in Reykjavík called Hallgrímskirkja.

Assistant head of the science department Cheryl Nicol said: “We have had some amazing comments back from the parents.

“They have said that ‘normally they don’t talk about anything at school, but we are still now hearing about Iceland weeks after the trip’.

“That, I think, is the whole point of running a school trip.

“You want to give the kids an experience that they wouldn’t have had before and that actually stays with them for quite a while and I think we managed to achieve that.”

The group arrived at Keflavík International Airport early on the first morning where they learned that the airport used to be an American airbase during the Second World War.

On another day the children learned about how fish is dried on large wooden racks in the country, and how fish heads were used as food for slaves in the Atlantic slave trade.

Due to the success of the trip, The Hurst plans to return to Iceland with another group of pupils next April.