Leamington and Warwick teachers forging links in Africa

l-r Sunita Evans Lillington Nursery & Primary School; Liz Garrett All Saints Junior School, Warwick; Jennifer Bailey Clapham Terrace Primary School, Leamington; Jamie McNeill St.Anthonys R.C. Primary School, Leamington

Taking part in the One World Link teacher exchange programme , the project helps to foster global education by developing links with African schools and their pupils.

The teachers set off in half-term for the ten-day trip to Bo, in Sierra Leone

The city has strong ties with Leamington and Warwick through One World Link (O.W.L.), a community friendship organisation set up 35 years ago to strengthen both communities and their awareness of global and development issues.

County pupils have completed work on a collaborative project, ‘Where I spend my time’ , which the teachers will plan and deliver alongside colleagues at their partner schools in Africa.

A group of Bo teachers visited Leamington and Warwick in October 2016 and there are plans to bring another group over in June.

Football kits no longer in use in local schools has been collected from several teams to be donated to Bo schools.

They hope that a football tournament between Bo schools will be a highlight of their visit.

OWL’s schools’ coordinator Liz Garrett said: “The learning experience for the pupils is incredible.

“ The impact it has on the relevance of their studies cannot be replicated without a trip of this type.

“Receiving a personal response from a Bo pupil they have written to brings a buzz of excitement into the classroom.”

For more information visit www.oneworldlink.org.uk