Holyrood teachers prepare for India trip (From Chard & Ilminster News)

Holyrood teachers prepare for India trip

11:07am Tuesday 12th February 2008 in Chard By Kirsty Maclagan

CHARD'S Holyrood Community School looks set to continue its ties with an Indian partner school as three of its teachers prepare to spend a week over there.

India Project co-ordinator Julia Crichton-Smith will join textiles teacher Gill Smith and performing arts teacher Lorraine Baker on a visit to the Green Valley School, Chennai, during half term.

The twinning partnership was developed using a grant from the Department for International Development to plan joint curriculum projects between the schools.

In September, two members of staff from Green Valley visited Chard to start putting the projects into place - which the Holyrood teachers hope to expand on during their trip.

These include an 'East Meets West' textiles project that aims to reverse the idea that clothes are designed in the West and made in the East.

Holyrood students have produced a line of traditional Indian clothing designed by Green Valley and will be sending across the finished products with their teachers.

They will also take over a drama script written by Holyrood students and based on research carried in India on women's role in each culture.

Drama students at Green Valley will then perform the script as a piece of street theatre in Chennai during the visit.

Julia said: "We are really looking forward to the trip and hope it will push the relationship between our schools forward.

"The India Project is very much a joint partnership, with both schools learning from each other.

"By participating in it we intend to address a global issue and explore the themes surrounding East versus West."

Next year Holyrood hopes to invite Green Valley students to Chard to further strengthen collaborations between the schools, which have been partners since 1998.