SCHOOLCHILDREN enjoyed a country-hopping tour from Brighton to Brazil in the UK's first ever virtual reality lesson outside the classroom.

Pupils at Moulsecoomb Primary School flew over Mont Blanc, had a rooftop view of the Parisian skyline, and a desert island in Southeast Asia, thanks to digital agency Propellernet and virtual reality experts yellowBird.

The companies partnered to create the geography lesson like no other for the 25 pupils aged between five and six years old.

Nikki Gatenby, managing director of Brighton-based Propellernet, said: “We have a high rate of children in need in Brighton, yet it is home to some really inspiring people in the digital industry with access to fantastic resources.

“We also have anecdotal evidence that there are many children in the city who have never been taken to the seaside despite living moments from the beach – we want to change that and engage children in this magical city, but also broaden their horizons and take a journey further afield.

As well as seeing Brighton’s own horizon from the beach, the schoolchildren were transported on a virtual reality journey across five countries using headsets installed with video footage that spans 360 degrees.

Highlights included flying over Mont Blanc, a rooftop view of the Parisian skyline, a nose to nose encounter with cows in a Dutch meadow, a desert island in Southeast Asia and the final stop is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, a country which the children are currently studying in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games.