CHILDREN from all over the country got together to get a different perspective on space.

The first ever ULT Science Challenge Day at the Swindon Academy involved 10 academies from as far away as Lincoln and Sheffield.

Teams from each school were at the Beech Avenue site in Pinehurst, competing for the title by coming up with an instrument to communicate with aliens.

Jacqui House, assistant principal specialism, co-organised the day with science teacher Dr Sarah Owens.

Miss House said: “It’s a way of meeting different teachers and for the students to mix with people for different backgrounds and areas.

“We want the students to engage in science and have a dream and believe they can do it and find the opportunities to get there.“ All ULT and UCST sponsored schools, which includes the academy, were invited to the event.

The challenge day involved six students from Years Seven and Eight who had to present the instruments they had been working on and explain the science behind them to a panel of judges.

Miss House said she hoped that the challenge would continue every year at different schools.

The day also included workshops, a propulsion lab, a chance to see moon rock and a talk by space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Dr Aderin-Pocock said: “ “As a space scientist I’m always trying to recruit people to join the industry.

“Science really is fun, it’s a voyage of discovery – sometimes you lose that in the classroom.”

The students involved from the Swindon Academy all volunteered for the task and completed it mainly outside lesson times.

Dr Owens said: “The children have really enjoyed the challenge of making the instrument.

“It was actually more challenging than they thought; making something from scratch was quite complex.”

Leanne Chandler, 12, from Pinehurst, said: “It’s made me think science is more fun that I used to think it was.”

Stephanie Lester, 13, from Pinehurst, said: “This is definitely more fun than going to a science lesson.”

Styn Oomen, 13, from the Midhurst Rother College in West Sussex, said: “We have been working on the instruments for the last few weeks.

“It gives us a different angle, it’s made science seem slightly different.”

, instead of just having the answers to the questions we have done an experiment.”