School website links children in UK and China

CHILDREN from Werrington Primary School in Peterborough have been exchanging messages with Chinese pupils via their school website, following a staff visit to China last week.

Headteacher Ben Wilding visited Pei Ming Primary School in Gao Ming as part of a Global Dimension project designed to help children and teachers explore their connections with the rest of the world. Eight headteachers from the Peterborough area were among the group of about 100 delegates from schools across England.

Mr Wilding kept pupils informed of his adventures in a blog hosted on the school's website. As well as writing a journal, Mr Wilding also posted photographs of his travels, which he took in Beijing, the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square.

Children from Werrington sent messages to Mr Wilding during his trip and compiled lists of questions for him to ask children in Gao Ming, including: "what type of animals are there in China?”, “how many degrees is it out there?", "is the food scrummy?” and “how do you have to dress in China?".

Mr Wilding's blog and photos, created during his trip, provide a permanent reminder of his experience and he's delighted that the website is helping to grow the friendship between Werrington and Pei Ming Primary School. "I was keen for the children to explore my experiences, the website helped me achieve this via a blog and photo diary. It was fantastic to read the postings from the children at school and then respond immediately," he said. "The technology made us all feel closer together bridging the thousands of miles. I was delighted to see a pupil from our partner primary school had joined our blog and left a comment too."

It is hoped that both schools will continue to communicate using the school website. More information about Mr Wilding's trip will be added to the site over the coming days, including recordings of the visit and video footage.

Tina Roach, head of customer care at e4education, the Peterborough company that supplied the school's web technology, said, "Being able to see Mr Wilding's photos and read about his trip really brought this adventure to life for the children. The children were able to ask him questions and see his replies almost straight away. Now the Chinese children are joining in, the experience is wonderful."

The China Daily blog is at www.werringtonprimaryschool.co.uk