Pupils put village on world map

A SMALL village will be promoted across Europe in travel guides written by primary schoolchildren.

Pupils at Wood Lane Primary, near Audley, are producing Lonely Planet-style books as part of a project to raise awareness of their own and other cultures.

EXCHANGE: Wood Lane Primary Euro-buddies Lauren Morrey and Luke Campbell-Wilson with teachers, from left, Gonda Van Gink from the Netherlands, Angela Williams from Birmingham and Sweden's Lena Bostroem. Picture: Cara Edgington

The school has won funding from the British Council's European Citizens of Tomorrow project to link up with schools in Spain, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Sweden and Birmingham.

During the next two years, teachers and pupils will be visiting their partner schools and communicating with them by letters and emails.

The travel books will be produced by every pupil and printed professionally.

They will include information on places to visit in Wood Lane and the surrounding area, as well as popular food, events and hobbies. The children will also write about the countries they visit.

Teacher Simone Parry, who is co-ordinating the exchange programme, said: "The students will learn as much as they can about school life abroad and use this information to develop an adult-style guide to Europe.

"We want to help the children become part of Europe and realise how Wood Lane can have an impact on the larger community."

Pupil Taya Moroney, aged nine, plans to write about Trentham Gardens.

She said: "It's got lots of attractions to look at and it's really adventurous. I think visitors will like looking in the shops."

Samuel Handley, aged nine, said he would promote Waterworld in Festival Park.

He said: "There are lots of slides and it is great fun."

Representatives from each of Wood Lane Primary's European partners met at the school yesterday.

Students spoke to the visitors about their academic work and put on dance and musical performances. They also asked the guests questions about their home countries.

Teacher Elenor Johansson, who was visiting from a school in Sweden, said: "It is very similar to our school back in Sweden. I also come from a school in the countryside which has only 92 pupils. I like the surrounding fields and houses. I also think the displays of children's work in the hall are very bright and welcoming. I think this is something English schools are very good at.

"The differences between this school and ours is that children do not start school until they are six in Sweden and they learn a foreign language from the age of seven."

Katie Wildman, teacher of Years Three and Four at Wood Lane, said: "We're very much in a bubble in Wood Lane and I think this project will encourage the children to branch out."