PUPILS at a County Durham school have been on virtual field trips to outer space, the Borneo rain forest and a surgeon's room – all in one day.

Students at Sedgefield Community College were given the chance to immerse themselves in virtual reality during a visit from Google Expeditions on Wednesday.

Using cardboard and smart phones fashioned into headsets, abstract concepts are brought to life during an otherwise typical school day.

Head of science Sarah Coxon applied for Google to bring the project into school in a bid to make learning more fun and current.

"I think the kids are on devices all of the time at home and I don't know if teaching is getting a little bit out of touch," she said.

"If we can use stuff they are interested in we can help their learning.

"The hope is we can teach lessons, instead of looking at videos and having teacher talk, we can take all of them into a 3D world."

The virtual reality headsets allow pupils to see for themselves and better understand the concepts and places they are learning about.

Lessons for the pupils from Years 7 to 11 covered a wide range of subjects that fitted in with the curriculum.

Some experienced the day in the life of a surgeon, discovered animals in the rain forest of Borneo, clapped eyes on the Aurora Borealis, travelled into space and even got to see a foetus grow inside a womb.