Since its arrival at the Stoke-on-Trent school, the aeroplane, complete with wings, fuselage and undercarriage, has been transformed into a flexible teaching space, and fitted with interactive whiteboards, laptops and storable seats and desks.

"Staff at the school invited pupils to offer ideas for a new outdoor classroom. An aircraft, a castle, and a tree house were just a few of the many ideas," explains Head teacher, David Lawrence. "An aeroplane may seem like an outlandish choice, but it actually makes a great deal of sense, ecologically, practically and financially. We have efficiently recycled a decommissioned airliner that would normally have been scrapped, and given it a new whole new lease of life. Plus, it worked out significantly cheaper than a traditional outdoor portable cabin classroom."

Since the 72ft (22m) long aircraft was delivered, the Kingsland Primary School children have also been involved with the interior design of the aircraft, in an ongoing school project named 'The King's Wings'.

Built in 2005, Kingsland Primary School reinforced its building's perimeter security with a comprehensive CCTV system three years ago. This consisted of Vista PowerDome cameras covering the school's external and key internal areas, such as entranceways and corridors. "Having been impressed with the results of the initial installation involving Lee Taylor and on the recommendation of other schools he had worked with, we commissioned the services of Lee's company, Taylor's Security Solutions again," continues David Lawrence. "This time to extend the CCTV coverage to cover our unique new classroom."

"After the success of the original installation using Vista PowerDomes, we had no hesitation in specifying the latest version of the Vista PowerDome Pro, to expand the system's coverage to the new aeroplane classroom," says Lee Taylor. "To provide maximum scene coverage of this unique learning facility, we installed Vista Powerdome Pro VPP-H23D-WP-C cameras mounted onto specially installed poles, to maximise the advantage of their high-resolution images."

Featuring a choice of high-performance colour and day/night camera module options, including the vandal resistant and weatherproof housing models used at the school, Vista Powerdome Pro cameras were specified due to their exacting levels of performance and image clarity. With a manual speed of 160°/s and maximum preset speed of 540°/s, the domes' high-speed functionality ensures fast and effective object tracking and smooth preset tours, whilst the powerful 23x zoom capabilities of the VPP-H23D-WP-C enable the easy identification of objects or individuals around the aeroplane classroom and surrounding grounds.

Providing great image rendition, the PowerDome Pro series' advanced Wide Dynamic Range function (WDR) permits effective surveillance monitoring within the high-contrast scenes experienced in the school grounds, especially around the aircraft itself, where lighting can vary from bright sunlight to dark shaded areas under the wings (making it appear dark to the camera). Here, the WDR function compensates, making any individuals easily identifiable against the backlit scene.

Also equipped with an advanced Automatic Gain Control (AGC) function, the Vista Powerdome Pro dome automatically boosts the camera's video gain in low-light conditions, allowing more accurate identification of individuals during night-time periods. This feature has already proved its worth at Kingsland Primary School, allowing the police to identify and subsequently prosecute several individuals who had gained unauthorised entry to the site.

"In addition to the obvious security benefits of protecting the significant investment we have made in the new classroom, the Powerdome Pro cameras and the high-quality images we gain from the CCTV system have yielded some additional and unexpected benefits," continues David Lawrence. "We have found the images invaluable for general health and safety enforcement at the school, and even use everyday situations captured on the system to illustrate examples of good or bad behaviour to the children."

The nature of the build and refurbishment programme for the new aeroplane classroom meant Taylor's Security Solutions were required to adhere to strict timescales on the installation of the new cameras, ensuring the classroom was ready for the start of the new term. David Lawrence explains: "Working out of hours the team did a fantastic job, ensuring the new kit was ready on time, and all without impacting on the routine of the school day."

Kingsland Primary School's unobtrusive CCTV is not only an effective security tool, but has proved to provide a practical teaching and management asset too. Lee Taylor concludes: "The performance of the new Vista Powerdome Pro domes has been a key factor in the success of this extension to the existing surveillance system. Covering such an unusual outside structure with ease, the additional cameras provide useful and evidential footage 24-hours a day. This, coupled with the comprehensive technical backup that comes with sourcing any product through Vista, has ensured a smooth installation from start to finish."