News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

There's magic behind the doors of one school room in Boston, Lincolnshire.

At least, that’s the verdict of an eager Year One pupil at Pioneers Free School Academy .

The place referred to by the little boy, who along with his classmates seemed unusually happy to be at school on a Monday morning, is the 4D room.

This is the crowning glory of a newly built school that opened its doors just over a year ago. The 4D room uses projected video footage on floor-to-ceiling screens, sound, lighting and an interactive floor space to create an "immersive" experience.

It might sound like something out of a sci-fi film, but it's real, and a big part of life at this school.

In this room, Pioneers pupils have been transported back in time to Queen Victoria’s coronation, been on magic carpet rides, taken a voyage to Australia, sheltered away from Polar Bears in the Arctic, hidden away in a haunted houses and explored countless other worlds, all within the same four walls.

The interactive floor means that the water ripples – and fish scatter – when the children "dip their toes in" and artifacts can be "uncovered" from underneath the sand in the desert.

"Hidden" wireless buttons in teachers' pockets can change things discreetly to add to the excitement. It's easy to see why the children love it.

"The children refer to it as the magic room – they're just so excited by it. But it's not just about excitement and the 'wow factor' – it’s about being able to take the children to places we cannot get to," said Principal Jo Bland.

"The other afternoon we went to Queen Victoria’s coronation in the 4D room using film footage, sound and lighting. We travelled back in time and we couldn't do things like that without the room – it's about bringing learning to life. Because they can see it, it becomes so real to them."

Miss Bland had seen a similar room in action in a school near Manchester and, from then on, her heart was set on installing one as part of the Pioneers project.

Read more:Tory school reforms force teachers to prove their ability in the classroom before they can get a job

At £79,000 it didn't come cheap, but Miss Bland says it is proving its worth by boosting the speaking and writing skills of her pupils, particularly those for whom English isn't the first language or who struggle with their speech.

"You get them in there and lo and behold they start to talk – it removes the barriers to learning," she explained.

"It has had a massive impact on children’s oracy. Before you can read and write you need to be able to speak and speak with clarity. In early years in particular, we have seen huge rises in the amount of children reaching the benchmark."

Miss Bland feels that such technology is important as educators search for ways to grasp the attention of a tech-savvy generation. Next year's batch of learners are, in many respects, the first batch of true "digital natives", born in the year the iPad was launched.

For children who will see smartphones, digital television and superfast broadband as perfectly normal, the challenge is to deliver lessons that can capture their imagination – while still using the traditional tools of the classroom.

It also helps teachers embrace changing demands as part of the curriculum, which is racing to try to cater for this digital generation.

"Technology now has to be a seamless part of the curriculum. Five or six years ago it was an hour on a Monday afternoon, now it has to be a seamless part of everyday learning," Miss Bland said.

"The world is a really exciting place for children and the technology they have got. If you give them a book they can be a bit like 'that’s old fashioned' because of the technological world we live in. We have to reach out to them and talk to them using technology.

"We've got to be careful though. There’s always a place for a school library and this should never replace educational visits trips out. It will help to enhance that."

So is 4D immersive technology set to follow in the footsteps of overhead projectors and interactive whiteboards as the must-have educational tool of the next decade?

Read more:School robot can tell if children are paying attention in the classroom

From her experience at Pioneers, Miss Bland says she would not want to be without a 4D room again – and reckons it will catch on and be an important part of the classroom of the future.

"Most people come into the room and go 'wow, if only we’d have had something like this in our school'. I remember there being one BBC computer in our whole school and if we got five minutes on it we were lucky.

"I can't see schools without some form of immersive 4D technology in the future. iPads and computer screens are fantastic – and you can do so much research – but it’s a screen and it’s flat and it’s not like we are there and it’s around you.

"4D is very much about opening eyes and being inspirational.”

Although it is expensive, prices are coming down. Schools can now purchase a room for £20,000-45,000, depending on their requirements, and can even rent or share a pop-up immersive 4D room among federated partnerships of schools.

The room at Pioneers was made by 4D Creative, which is based in Manchester’s Media City. Although the room comes with pre-loaded settings, teachers are able to create their own themes and rooms fairly simply, allowing them to cater for changes in taste.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

For example, the children's current love of Lego and Star Wars has been explored with themes to encourage creative writing using this subject matter.

Older pupils, meanwhile, are able to get their head around more complex and sensitive subject matters, with the First World War trenches or Auschwitz among settings available.

Schools with these rooms regularly exchange ideas, and challenge the creators – who are from an education background – to push their invention in new directions. The next addition will be to add smells to the sensory mix.

Miss Bland admits her school is lucky to have a good ICT budget – each class has 15 iPads, every pair of rooms has a set of laptops - but said the technology would be nothing if it wasn’t used creatively and effectively by her team of teachers.

She said: "You are only ever as good as the teachers at the front of the classroom. If it is not used effectively then there’s no gain in having it at all.

"You can’t overuse the 4D room – it’s good to keep the magic of it. It brings new dimensions to teaching – it’s the way that we use it that is important."

Read more:Harry Potter-themed classroom brings magic to new school term - and goes viral online

Andrew Brookes is Senior Content Editor on behalf of Hope Education