Warwickshire News Mine

The cross-continent partnership between Warwickshire and Mumbai was forged in 2008 and involves 17 schools in total, with six involved in this month’s exchange.

The trip was made possible due the six schools’ successfully securing government funding from the Department for International Development’s (DfID) Global School Partnerships scheme.

The funding has enabled the schools to set up a schedule for reciprocal visits - of which this trip was the first - as well as develop joint curriculum programmes which address global issues and promote global citizenship.

In their applications the schools had to evidence how they have established relationships with their link schools and the benefits they could gain from the reciprocal visits.

They cited various communication methods with the students writing postcards to each other, and using technology such as email, Skype sessions and the Warwickshire E-learning Platform.

This has given the pupils an understanding of a culture very different to their own and a chance to explore both the similarities and differences between school life in the two countries.

The programme has been facilitated and supported by the county council, International Development Officer Judith Walker, said: “The work between the schools in Warwickshire and Mumbai is challenging perceptions of other people and places and contributing to a broader and deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in developing economies.

"The students involved are learning important lessons in global citizenship and finding out more about their place in the world.”

Stratford Grammar School for Girls is one of the schools involved in the programme. Head teacher Kate Barnett said: “We are looking forward to working with the other local schools in the exchange. Already the joint curriculum work has enabled large numbers of pupils to build friendships across the continents and work together on globalisation projects.

“We will using this week with our link teacher to develop new ways of working which our staff can build on when they head out to Mumbai in February 2011 for the return leg of the reciprocal visit.

“Being part of a group of Warwickshire schools paired with a group of schools in another country does help sustain the links: the joint enterprise creates energy and enables local schools to share experiences too.”

Warwickshire County Councillor Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families added: “We have embraced international development in Warwickshire and this exchange is just one of a number of projects taking place to educate our young people about the world.

"I would encourage our schools to continue to develop links with education centres internationally and we are fortunate that advances in information technology enable us to do this in innovative ways.”

Link to WCC