BBC and British Council announce winners of Olympic Dreams School Search 2012

08 December 2010

The BBC and British Council today announced the 45 winning schools for the ‘Olympic Dreams – School Search’ - a search that was launched back in September for dozens of primary and secondary schools across the UK to twin with schools all over the world, and take part in a special project in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Winners include: Ballykeel Primary, Ballymena, Northern Ireland, twinned with Indian female boxer MC Mary Kom’s old school, Loktak Christian Model High School; Ysgol Bryn Alyn, Wrexham, twinned with American gymnastics star Shawn Johnson’s former school, Valley Southwoods Freshman High in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA; Baltasound Junior High, Shetland, twinned with British basketball star, Luol Deng’s former school, St Mary’s Catholic High in Croydon; and The Orion Primary School, London, twinned with Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt’s primary school, Waldensia Primary School, Jamaica. 

Over the next two years the project will support teachers in developing school-to-school partnerships and encourage pupils to share creative work inspired by the London Olympics with the organisations' global audiences. The British Council – which connects classrooms in the UK with schools around the world – has partnered the winners with schools attended by athletes from around the world, who are part of the BBC’s World Olympic Dreams project. 

Every winning school has been invited to send a teacher to a special conference, Olympic Dreams Live, held at the British Museum, London on the 15/16 January 2011, where they will meet teachers from the athletes’ schools to start their twinning journey.  Secondary schools have also been invited to send one pupil. 

The winning schools will also follow the stories of Olympic athletes with their twin schools. Working with the BBC World Class team, schools will be able to share and compare ideas and experiences online and, on occasion, in the BBC’s World Olympic Dreams broadcasts. The British Council will support them to work with their twin schools and develop their partnerships throughout the lifetime of the project.  

All the athletes featured can be found on the World Olympic Dreams website: www.bbc.co.uk/2012.

Amanda Farnsworth, BBC London 2012 Project Executive said: “This is the beginning of an exciting global conversation between schools right across the UK and our World Olympic Dreams athletes' schools from every continent across the world.  We were very much impressed by all the entries to the competition and inspired by the dreams of young people. Their enthusiasm to follow our athletes and their schools is the start of a journey which we hope will involve every school in the UK.” 

Vicky Gough, from the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms team, who helped judge the competition said: “We were really impressed by the standard of entries, and choosing the winners was hard work. This is just the beginning, though, and we hope that this will be the start of long, fruitful relationships between the schools in the UK and their new international friends. School linking is a great way of building trust and understanding between people in different parts of the world and helping children to become global citizens, so everyone can look forward to many benefits. And the values, energy and excitement of the London 2012 Olympics are a wonderful way to bring schools together around the world.” 

To enter, schools were asked to provide a response to the following requests:  

WORLD We want teachers to tell us why their school wants to twin and to send us questions from the pupils that they would like another school to answer.

 OLYMPIC We want teachers to tell us what the Olympic Games mean to their school and to send us questions that their pupils would like to ask Olympic athletes.

DREAMS We want teachers to tell us about the aspirations of their pupils, and to send us creative work from pupils sharing their hopes and dreams. 

Everyone's a winner! 

All schools which signed up for the Olympic Dreams School Search will receive a special poster featuring pupils at Usain Bolt's secondary school in Jamaica, and will also be given support to set up their own international school partnership by the British Council schools team.   

The British Council team will be contacting everyone to get the process underway before the end of the year.

BBC World Class will be building up to 2012 with twinning schools - keep in touch with the story via our website. 

Everyone's welcome.  Come to www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass to find out how to twin your school and get involved. 

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Notes to Editors

For more information please contact:

Scott Branch, Communications Manager

BBC Sport Publicity - 020 8225 9900 / scott.branch@bbc.co.uk

Mark Moulding, Press Officer

British Council - 020 7389 4889 / mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org

For any picture requests from current BBC Programming please email pictures@bbc.co.uk, stating programme name, transmission date, deadline, intended usage and contact details. If you have access to our website to download pictures, please visit www.bbcpictures.com.  Alternatively you can fax 020 8008 3220 or call on 020 8008 3200.

Full list of winners:

  • St Mary’s College, Hull: twinned with Kosovan Judoka, Majlinda Kelmendi’s school Ali Hadri, Kosovo
  • Highfields School, Matlock, Derbyshire: twinned with Australian swimmer Emily Seebohm’s school St John Fisher College, Australia
  • Strawberry Fields Primary, Leeds: twinned with Belgian athletes Jonathan, Kevin and Olivia Borlee’s school Athenee Royal Primary, Belgium
  • Bradford Academy, Bradford: twinned with Belgian athletes Jonathan, Kevin and Olivia Borlee’s school Athenee Royal Secondary, Belgium
  • Horbury School, Wakefield: twinned with Brazilian Judoka, Sarah Menezes’ school Colégio Certo, Brazil
  • Insch School, Aberdeenshire: twinned with Chinese synchronised diver, Wu Min Zia’s school Shanghai Guangqi Primary, China
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Loughborough: twinned with Chinese synchronised diver, He Zi’s school The Affiliated Elementary School of Tsinghau University
  • Sandwich Technology School, Kent: twinned with Chinese synchronised diver, He Zi’s school The Affiliated High School of Tsinghau University
  • Mill View Primary School, Chester: twinned with French cyclist Julien Absalon’s school Groupe Scolaire Route d’Arches
  • The Thomas Lord Audley School, Essex: twinned with French cyclist Julien Absalon’s school Lycée André Mairaux
  • Bookwell Primary School, Egremont, Cumbria: twinned with German equestrian Hinrich Romeike’s school Grund-und Realschule Fockbek
  • Granta School, Cambridge: twinned with German equestrian Hinrich Romeike’s school Kronwerk Gymnasium
  • Roseberry Sports and Community College, Durham: twinned with German equestrian Hinrich Romeike’s school Bryanston Boarding School, Blandford
  • St Mary’s Church of England Primary, Folkestone: twinned with British swimmer Achieng Ajulu-Bushell’s school Peponi House, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Norlington School for Boys, Waltham, London: twinned with British swimmer Achieng Ajulu-Bushell’s school Plymouth College
  • New Charter Academy, Tameside, Lancashire: twinned with British swimmer Achieng Ajulu-Bushell’s school Notting Hill and Ealing High School
  • Knockhall Community Primary School, Kent: twinned with British triathlete Alistair Brownlee’s school West End Primary
  • James Brindley School, Birmingham: twinned with British triathlete Alistair Brownlee’s school Bradford Grammar, Bradford
  • Baltasound Junior High, Shetland Islands: twinned with British basketball star Luol Deng’s school St Mary’s Catholic High
  • Tomlinscote School and Sixth Form College, Surrey: twinned with British basketball star Luol Deng’s school Blair Academy, New Jersey
  • Ballykeel Primary School, Ballymena, Northern Ireland: twinned with Indian female boxer MC Mary Kom’s school Loktak Christian Model High
  • Methodist College, Belfast, Northern Ireland: twinned with Indian female boxer MC Mary Kom’s school St Xavier’s School
  • The Thomas Hardye School, Dorset: twinned with Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra’s school Doon School, Dehradun
  • Vale First and Middle School, Worthing: twinned with Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra’s school St Stephen’s
  • The Orion Primary School, London: twinned with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s school Waldensia Primary
  • Langdon Park Community School, Tower Hamlets, London: twinned with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s school William Knibb
  • Sutton Church of England Lower School, Bedfordshire: twinned with Kenyan athletes Linet and Moses Masai’s school Kapsogom Primary
  • Bedford Academy, Bedford: twinned with Kenyan athletes Linet and Moses Masai’s school Bishop Okiring Secondary
  • Edlesborough School, Bucks: twinned with Mongolian Boxer Enkhbatyn Badar-Uugan’s school #79 Primary link
  • Park House School and Sports College, Newbury, Berks: twinned with Mongolian boxer Badar-Uugan Enkhbatyn’s school #79
  • St Mary’s Episcopal Primary, Stirling: twinned with Namibian athlete Merlyn Diamond’s school Auas Primary
  • Calderglen High School, East Kilbride: twinned with Namibian athlete Merlyn Diamond’s school Jan Mohr High
  • Holbrook Primary, Coventry: twinned with Pakistani Hockey team’s school Habib Public School Primary
  • Stretford High School, Manchester: twinned with Pakistani Hockey team’s school Habib Public School Secondary
  • Northwood Primary School, London: twinned with Palestinian athlete Nadar al Masri’s school Beit Hanoun Boy’s Preparatory School
  • Fairlands Middle School, Somerset: twinned with Russian athlete Ivan Ukhov’s school #108 Primary link
  • Lipson Community College, Plymouth: twinned with Russian athlete Ivan Ukhov’s school #108 Secondary link
  • Redruth School: A Technology College, Cornwall: twinned with Russian athlete Ivan Ukhov’s school Special School of the Olympic Reserve 1
  • Perry Wood Primary, Worcester: twinned with Trinidadian athlete Jehue Gordon’s school Maraval R.C Primary
  • Sandwell Academy, Sandwell, West Bromwich: twinned with Trinidadian athlete Jehue Gordon’s school Belmont Boys Secondary school, Port of Spain
  • Coopers Coburn Sports College, Essex: twinned with Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan’s School No 55 (now School 4)
  • Chase Town Sports College, Burntwood, West Midlands: twinned with American gymnast Shawn Johnson’s school Valley High in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • Herbert Thompson, Cardiff: twinned with American gymnast Shawn Johnson’s school Westridge Elementary School, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • Ysgol Bryn Alyn, Wrexham: twinned with American gymnast Shawn Johnson’s school Valley Southwoods Freshman High in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
  • Highcliffe School, Christchurch, Dorset: twinned with St Patrick’s School, Iten, Kenya

World Class is a sister project to the BBC’s World Olympic Dreams, which is following 26 stories about 46 athletes (some of whom are in teams) for the next two years as they strive for glory at London 2012.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work.   Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org

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