Hackney school gets a State visit with a difference
18 May 2011
Staff and students at Daubeney Primary School near the Olympic Park got a visit from the First Lady of the American State that hosted the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, thanks to the British Council.
Sandra Deal – First Lady of Georgia and a former teacher herself - visited the school on Wednesday 18 May. She was given a tour of the school by two pupils who enjoy monthly visits to the Olympic site, as well as discussing the potential impact of the Games on the local area with the students. Her visit to Daubeney is part of a trip to the UK by Mrs Deal and her husband, Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal, exploring ways to strengthen Georgia-UK ties in the areas of business, sustainable energy, and education.
The visit has been organised by the British Council, which builds links between schools in the UK and around the world – helping children to better understand other cultures, preparing them for life in a global society and work in a global economy.
Through the British Council, Daubeney Primary is twinning with Centennial Park Elementary School in Atlanta. The staff and pupils will work on projects together, based on the Olympic Games and their shared experiences.
Vicky Gough, from the British Council’s Schools Team, said: “We hope this visit will be the start of a beautiful relationship between the schools in Hackney and Atlanta, which will really broaden the children’s cultural horizons. They already have a lot in common thanks to the Olympics. One school is close to the site that was the focus of the world 15 years ago, and the other is on the doorstep of the place that everyone will be watching next year.”
For more information, contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on 0207 389 4889 or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org
To interview someone from the school, or if you’d like to send a reporter and/or photographer on Wednesday, contact the school directly on 0208 985 4380.
Notes to Editors
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.
