Young scientists will soon have every imaginable gadget and gizmo at their fingertips when an Oxford school unveils its latest facility.

St Edward's School, in Woodstock Road, North Oxford, is due to open its new science building in September and - thanks to a £50,000 grant - the laboratories will be equipped with items rarely found in British schools, such as seismometer to measure earthquakes. The science block will even include a weather station.

And it will not just be students at St Edward's, which is one of the country's leading independent schools, who will benefit.

The school plays an active part in the Oxford Independent State School Partnership, which sees it sharing facilities with state schools and other community organisations.

Among the state schools that have been involved are Peers School in Littlemore, Bartholomew School in Eynsham, Gosford Hill School, in Kidlington, The Marlborough School, in Woodstock, and Didcot Girls' School.

The £50,000 grant was given to the school by the Wolfson Foundation, which supports a variety of areas and subjects, but is particularly active in helping science and technology projects.

The cash will enable the school to expand its physics and chemistry departments while the new building, which St Edward's says will be a flagship sustainable design, will be used for the teaching of biology and sports science.

Andrew Trotman, warden of St Edward's, said: "This will have a huge educational benefit not only to St Edward's pupils, but also to other schools and organisations across Oxfordshire, as part of our commitment to share facilities through the Oxford Independent State School Partnership.

"We are enormously grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for their support."