Algeria meets Hackney in school exchange programme
Algerian representative meets Our Lady and St Joseph’s pupils
It was all about a meeting of cultures at Hackney schools earlier this month, as Algerian teachers paid a visit to schools across the borough as part of a broader international exchange programme.
Four teachers and educational representatives from the North African country ventured to Hackney as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme.
They met their opposite numbers in Hackney schools, with a view to working in close partnership for the next three years and thus contributing on a local level to international dialogue.
The Hackney visitors, who are part of a larger group of school employees visiting from the North Africa region, arrived after a series of London workshops earlier in the week.
In these sessions, Algerian and British teachers worked alongside UK local authority representatives to learn how to create a successful school partnership.
Building on this preparation, the visitors ventured into Hackney schools to get to know students, sit in on lessons and plan joint activities to be developed together in the coming years.
Local schools participating in the scheme included Queensbridge, Sebright, Randal Cremer and De Beauvoir primary schools, as well as Haggerston School and Bridge Academy.
Sarah Bailey, headteacher at Queensbridge Primary School, said: “We are very excited to be working together on this international project which has huge potential to impact upon our young people’s knowledge and understanding of the wider world in which they live.”
“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students to make real connections with young people from another part of the world who live in a different cultural context.”
Janice Thomas, headteacher at Sebright Primary School, added: “Having the visitors from Algeria in our school was great. The whole school has studied Algeria and had produced some wonderful work to present to our visitors.”
It was brilliant to welcome these amazing visitors. The children researched Algerian facts and asked them detailed questions all about their own education system. Brilliant!
As an Algerian British from London, it’s very encouraging to to see this kind of exchange between Algeria and the UK, I am pleased to say that British Algerian relations are quite good, wish to see them developed further in the future not just in the energy industry but at all levels, economic, cultural, education and so on, the Uk is a great country in many ways, Algeria also has the potential to develop into a great country too.
Mohammed Igounane
Samira Bouras, an Algerian teacher
We are very excited to share this experience with teachers and learners from the UK. Our learners are eager to know English native speakers in order to improve knowledge and exchange cultures.
It’s a wonderful experience for cultural exchange and further development of language teaching and learning
It’s really great making such a visit. So happy that students looked for some facts about Algeria, so they could have an idea about our educational system and our culture. I think Ms Mcgrady (the Training Manager in the BC in Algeria) agrees with me. By the way, I am writing from Hackney; I am here in London for scientific research at university of London.
Partnership relations are great and I wish they would succeed.I am a member of connecting classroom project and I would like my pupils to know more about a different society !