Case Study: Launceston Community Primary School

Launceston, Cornwall

Symbols of Friendship

Global Teacher's placement and the Link Schools Programme

Creating a huge textile wall hanging is an annual event at Launceston Community Primary School. As soon as it was known that Barbara Griffiths had been selected as one of the Round 2 Global Teachers to go to Uganda, her colleague, Jennifer Blockley, was quick to begin her personal research on what could be included in the one she would design for 2002. On Barbara's return she had a wealth of material to supplement her findings and the large panels on the final piece were based on Barbara's own photographs.

Barbara had applied for the Global Teachers Programme hoping that it would give her the opportunity of living in a community in the southern hemisphere so that she could offer a wider experience to the children of the relatively isolated community of Launceston.

Her school, on the northern border of Cornwall, has approximately 200 on roll mostly in classes of 30. Kyema Primary school in the Masindi district of Uganda has over 500 on roll with classes more than twice that size. Launceston has a mixed catchment area and most of the pupils live in the small market town. By contrast, 94% of the Ugandan learners were the children of peasant farmers and many made the journey to school barefoot.

Activities and benefits

Whilst at Kyema, Barbara assisted the headteacher, Mary Mukonyezi, by working on the School Development Plan and by developing resources for Mathematics lessons, especially for the youngest pupils. There was already a games club and Barbara introduced them to Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Draughts and card games to develop their counting skills.

On her return and after speaking about her experiences to the parents, governors and colleagues, she was inundated with support for making more games. A colourful collection of plastic milk bottle tops was used for several 'African games'. In exchange, as it were, Launceston's children have learnt how to play Oware and championships have been held at the school. This year's national event, organised by Link Community Development to promote global education and school linking, was held at London Zoo on 8th November.

Within a month of her return Barbara had convinced her headteacher, colleagues and the governors that joining the Link Schools Programme would extend the range of activities that her visit alone could provide. Very shortly after that, fundraising began and soon there was enough to enable Mary Mukonyezi, headteacher of Kyema Primary, to make the journey of a lifetime. Mary and Barbara had mooted the possibility of such a visit and preparations began in earnest to ensure that the children and the wider community in Launceston had some background information about Kyema and lifestyles in Masindi before Mary arrived.

For the children, writing pen-friend letters became a focal point of their weeks: "Our Literacy Hour became full of letter writing!"

Although the spaces between letters are rather frustrating, Lewis, Lucy and Joshua (from Year 5) reckoned that this was one of the best parts of being linked to Kyema.

"I thought the land would be rather plain and there'd only be a few houses. Now I know that there are loads!"

"Some of the things the children do in Uganda are a little bit the same as here."

"The children have to walk quite far to school AND they have to do lots of jobs!"

Launceston also took part in Link Community Development's Commonwealth Day postcard exchange. Five postcards giving information about significant dates and facts about the school or the district are exchanged for five from the linked school and this helps to update general knowledge about both communities and sustain the link from year to year.

In Art, the wall hanging became a favourite activity as they cut and sewed, matching colours and materials to those in the large, laminated photographs Barbara provided. How often do children get the opportunity literally to focus so closely on the fabric of other people's lives, half a globe away?

Details of dress and food, people and customs are portrayed with great detail and precision. Exploring another culture by stitching a permanent artefact such as this, is just one powerful way of learning. Using other senses, the children of Launceston Community Primary are both learning and raising money for their school link: every Friday is Africa Snack Day.

"We sell healthy snacks at playtime on Fridays. It reminds us of some of the things they eat in Uganda. We sell mangoes, nuts, oranges and pineapples. We usually raise about £20-25."

Curriculum and citizenship

The staff at the school has also been variously influenced by Barbara's visit to Uganda. Several members have used the resources she has created for pattern work in Maths and in Year 4 the Geography syllabus has been re- designed to embed global issues in a study of a village in Uganda, rather than one in India, with which as yet, they have no connection.

"I wanted to teach about somewhere real. Barbara came back from somewhere very real."

Incorporating African issues across the curriculum has now become part of the School Improvement Action Plan and as Barbara reported "we are currently looking at ways of extending our whole school citizenship policy to include Global Citizenship."

The connection with the Cornwall Association for Development Education is growing stronger and this will help to support the Global Citizenship initiatives resulting from Barbara's placement.

For Barbara herself, (known, oddly, in Masindi as "the brown one"!) her return to Launceston provided her with more opportunities for Continued Professional Development. Having taught the Reception class for 12 years, she found it refreshing to go to ALL the classes in the school to talk about the artefacts she had brought back and how they were used in Uganda. These were also displayed in the school for visitors to see.

Most of the teachers have provided schemes of work including a global dimension to their themes and in the School's Improvement Action Plan, mention is made of the fundraising needed to sustain the funds for the school link. Themes on Children's Rights are also part of the Year 4 curriculum and can now include Uganda as an additional focus.

One person for whom Mary's visit was particularly significant was textiles teacher, Jennifer Blockley. She described the school as being 'over the moon' to have Mary with them. For Mary herself, it may well have felt like being on the moon and very far from all that was familiar to her.

Mary was moved to see all the photos of her children on the classroom walls which must have reassured her of the value that the pen-friend scheme has to the Launceston children.

The Year 5 children commented with some surprise and admiration at the fact that the Kyema learners had taken so much trouble to be photographed in special places and against interesting backgrounds of trees and reeds. Some had even gone to the expense of having theirs taken in a studio!

Jennifer is working hard to maintain those friendships as the children move on up through the school. It is interesting to conjecture how many will survive the transition to secondary school and points up the importance of forging links in the locality as well as across the globe.

Connecting communities

Beyond the school a wide range of activities have taken place in the past year to raise awareness of the similarities and differences between these two communities. A local art group came into school, and again, using some of Barbara's photos, drew inspiration for their own paintings which were then exhibited in the Southgate Arch for about three months.

Barbara gave an introductory talk at the launch of the exhibition and the records show the highest attendance of local people and tourists for any exhibition at that venue! Africa has certainly come to Launceston. Members also worked with classes of children to create mosaics and ceramics. Another particularly successful venture was mask-making where Year 6 worked with the Foundation Year offering support and gaining in confidence. Collage work and paintings were exhibited at a two-day event in the Town Hall in "an extravaganza of African art, drama and music.which (has) raised awareness in this small Cornish town."

It would seem that almost every UK community has its drummers and Launceston is no exception. A local Zimbabwean group came into school and worked with each class in preparation for a performance to parents, governors and the public.

Another musical event was a Ceilidh organised by Barbara and her partner who played in the band. This, with a raffle and dancing helped to raise funds, as did coffee mornings in the town.

The commission from the school photos was yet another contribution and the staff's participation in Pyjama Day ensured that Launceston Community Primary was in a position to welcome its Ugandan visitor in style. The plans for the visit were relayed to the wider community via an article Barbara wrote in Launceston College's Newsletter.

Barbara hosted Mary in her home and she, her daughter Katie, (in photo with Mary), Jennifer and other colleagues took her to various places of interest including an overnight visit to London. An open-top bus and a trip down the Thames were not enough for Mary. She was determined to be photographed on the London Eye.

Some of the visits were almost overwhelming for her: looking over the walls of Tintagel Castle and out to sea, Mary said

"What will I tell them unless they have seen it for themselves?"

The children also enjoyed taking Mary to local places and Cotchele was one of their favourites, as were Buckland Abbey and visits to the Moors. The impression on Mary elicited the following comment: "I am famous now! Everyone will want to come and speak to me."

The District Education Officer, Derek Nkata, who has been so supportive to all the Global Teachers who have visited Masindi, was instrumental in helping Mary to obtain all the necessary documentation for her visit. He will certainly want to hear about her time in England and to compare it with his own experiences as he studies for his PhD in the UK.

Mary herself became aware of the difference between the demands of speaking English in Uganda and the faster, more idiomatic style when living among native speakers.

She delighted the children by teaching them some African dances: "It was funny, dancing like a warrior!" They were also keen to help her collect 'redundant' recorders to take back to Kyema with her. Fifteen should enable her to start a wind band!

The Year 5 pupils are keen to learn more about Uganda. In future letters they will be asking for more information about food, pets and animals, their celebrations and their language, Renoyro.

They are already thinking of new ways to raise funds for Kyema and many would probably echo Joshua's wish: "I'd really like to go to Uganda when I'm older."

Sustainability for the future

Jennifer Blockley, however, is older and cannot wait to visit Kyema. Her pen-friendship with Mary Mukonyezi is very important to her and she would like to consolidate it with practical experience, having seen the powerful effect it had on Barbara. Her letters have described the different aspects of the British day: dawn and dusk and qualities of the seasons that are unknown in Uganda. She has encouraged her class to write Winter haikus and to describe snow, Spring and Autumn colours.

Embarrassed by the amount of waste she noticed more particularly when Mary was around, she is keen to encourage more recycling and composting in and beyond the school. Jennifer realises just how much can be learnt from a reciprocal visit and is eagerly seeking funding for her own journey of a lifetime.

The impact of the link has involved a wide variety of organisations and groups in the town. It could be possible for these and the College to take the link forward - or to develop it in a broader way at District/LEA level.

Much has already been embedded in the curriculum (especially for Year 4) and it is to be hoped that this will extend more and more into the other year groups.

There is some concern about the continuation of the link as Barbara makes plans for a reduced work load and is moving into supply teaching and later on wants to focus more on Development Education. Jennifer is enthusiastic about visiting Kyema herself if possible, but is also aware that it is not so very long before she takes her well-earned retirement!

She is the next link in the chain of friendship between Launceston and Kyema. Who will keep the fire burning after her?

Compiled by Frances Hillier, Education Advisor, Link Community Development UK, Nov 2003