One school’s link with Pakistan challenges stereotypes and brings east and west together, reports Ute Offermann

An international link between schools should change attitudes and develop the will to work together and learn more about each other. It is important that schools develop links with countries that are at the centre of conflict, or which cross the east-west divide. Our link with Pakistangoes against the grain, and is therefore challenging and immensely beneficial.

It all began seven years ago, with a personal link between two teachers. This has developed into a sustainable partnership which includes a range of departments in each school and engages parents and the local community. The DFID Global School Partnerships grant we have received for three years has enabled teachers to develop excellent personal relationships, forming a basis for ongoing collaboration in the future.

Moseley School is an inner-city comprehensive with a largely Muslim student population, and around 70 per cent of our students are of Pakistani heritage. The community is very diverse with a rich variety of languages spoken. Our school has many international partnerships and we are proud to have been accredited with the DCSF International School Award.

Exchanging letters and artwork gives strong start to partnership

We decided to link with the Lahore Lyceum in Pakistan, as we felt that our students could learn a lot from this partnership, even (or especially) if their families originate from there. Our link helps them learn about a Pakistan they do not necessarily come across during family visits. Most of our students’ parents come from rural areas of Mirpur and the North-West Frontier Province where access to education is limited and Urdu is not generally spoken or written.

What makes our partnership sustainable is, in the first instance, the dedication of the teachers who are convinced that international links enhance the curriculum and contribute to the education of well-rounded citizens. But our success is also due to a programme of activities we have developed for our international links.

Our activities are designed to break down ‘big concepts’ like global citizenship and make them accessible. We start with an exchange of personal information, often in the form of ‘hands of friendship’ or letters. We feel these are best and more personal when they are handwritten and coloured pieces of art, and we take this work over to Pakistan on our visits. The exchange of personal details, photos, likes and dislikes and views creates interest and a basis to work together, and it gives curriculum work a purpose and an audience.

Working together to explore global citizenship issues

Students in both schools then work on global citizenship issues. In the past three years, these topics have included migration and refugees, the rights of the child, health in the community and global health issues, such as epidemics. We have worked closely with UNICEF and the local Civic Society, and it fits into the bigger picture that both our schools are working to get either Rights Respecting Schools or Healthy Schools accreditation. We cover this work with all our 14 and 15-year-old students and exchange the outcomes by e-mail.

These very cerebral issues are broken down into discussions such as ‘what does my country mean to me?’ and ‘how do I see myself and my city in 10 years’ time?’ and interviews with grandparents about their reasons for migrating or becoming refugees. Work in lessons includes visits by members of UNICEF, the Red Cross and the Civic Society. We use a variety of methodologies for this work, including brainstorming, mind-mapping, group discussion, presentations to the class, ICT-based research, display, circle time, roleplay and student choice of medium. The curriculum areas involved are PSHE, Urdu, ICT, Science and Geography.

Developing the relationship through joint projects and exchange visits

A relatively new development is to link up younger students, aged 12 and 13, to work on festivals in their cities. The Lahore Lyceum has adopted a version of our annual Festival of Diversity and at Moseley we have had kite-flying events as a result of a Basant festival laid on for us during a visit to Lahore.

Moseley students have also worked with young children in our area to produce ‘hands of friendship’ to send to one of our partner primary schools in an extension of our link, and with their peers on youth language.

The highlight of the partnership is the exchange visits that take place each year for teachers and students. Our visit to the Lahore Lyceum included teaching, speaking at parents’ evenings and a conference for teachers, and discussing pedagogy with colleagues. We taught Citizenship lessons and gave a taster of German in the context of global links. It was great to see how much the Teaching German at the Lahore Lyceum “Our students and teachers find that people, attitudes and circumstances are never as black and white as we sometimes imagine.” pupils enjoyed this and how they saw the links with international citizenship, making the effort to learn more about others, including the language they speak.

During their visit to Moseley School, our Pakistani colleagues hold assemblies for different year groups, give lessons in ICT and Geography, and talk to staff and students. Lahore Lyceum students come prepared with friendship bands, ideas for discussion and questionnaires for our students.

In both schools the exchange has a high profile, impacting across the whole school, and we make the most of the small number of teachers and students we are able to send.

Teachers and parents also gain understanding from the partnership

The link between our schools is vital for many reasons. Teachers from both schools gain immeasurably through collaborating with colleagues, and their views of each others’ schools and countries are challenged and barriers are broken down. At Moseley our teachers already have an interest in Pakistani culture through working with our many students of Pakistani heritage, but this is enhanced through the personal contacts they make at the Lahore Lyceum. Their knowledge of Pakistan and its history, as well as its geo-political importance in the current east-west conflict, is also increased.

Our link helps us to involve parents in the life of the school. For our migration project, students interviewed parents and grandparents, and will share the results with our partner. Parents approve of the link with Pakistan and like to send their children there, especially the girls,who are not always allowed to take part in school trips that involve overnight stays. They are keen to keep the ties with Pakistan and the link enhances the school’s credibility through our acceptance of parents’ cultural ties.

Our students benefit by gaining greater confidence through working with their international peers, interpreting for staff and speaking in assemblies and parents’ evenings. Both they and our teachers get to see the educated, outward-looking, modern Pakistan as well as the much-publicised traditional one. They meet Pakistani students and teachers who are proud of their country but not oblivious to its challenges. Our students and teachers find that people, attitudes and circumstances are never as black and white as we sometimes imagine. Meeting others stimulates our curiosity and opens our minds.

Ute Offermann is Language College Director at Moseley School, a Language College

More information and getting started

DFID Global School Partnerships promotes a global dimension in the curriculum through developing innovative, equitable and sustainable learning partnerships between schools in the UK and Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. The programme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID).
For more information see www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools or e-mail globalschools@britishcouncil.org