Sandfield Park School teacher Carly Hynes approached Hurtigruten after her father recently sailed on the expedition specialist’s ship Roald Amundsen.

The school supports pupils with physical disabilities and a wide range of associated learning difficulties. 

What originally started as plans for a one-off talk for pupils morphed into a regular series of lessons which have taken place throughout this month.

Led by marine biologist Chris Venus, each webinar features a different member of Hurtigruten’s onboard expedition team, who share their expertise of nature and wildlife of Antarctica and the importance of protecting the Antarctic continent.

Hurtigruten said it wanted to “inspire future generations of explorers” to consider a future career in science and exploration.

Sessions have included identifying species of seals to watching live footage from an underwater drone.

Venus said: “We are passionate about the work we do, and we were delighted when Carly and the students of Sandfield Park School shared our enthusiasm for science and protecting our planets nature and wildlife.”

Hynes added: “As a teacher it is vitally important that we broaden the horizons of our young people. There are jobs available now, such as an underwater drone operator, which were not employment opportunities ten years ago; for someone with a physical disability, this is a potential future job. 

“We would not have had the ability to explore this without Hurtigruten Expeditions allowing us the opportunity to spend some time with their scientists. We are thankful for their time and for sharing their expertise with us.”