CHILDREN in Nigeria and Zimbabwe will be sitting down to watch a celebratory event featuring their Bromley school friends thanks to a partnership project.

Six schools across the borough have been linked to schools in Nigeria and Zimbabwe for two years to allow them to learn more about the history, aims and crafts in the very different countries.

Through video link, teacher visits and peer teaching, the pupils are learning traditional hobbies such as basket weaving, soapstone carving and Hausa dancing.

The British Council funded Swift Weavers project has also enabled them to develop ideas for sustainable schools and share their video diaries.

To celebrate the second anniversary the borough’s schools staged a celebration at Beaverwood School, Beaverwood Road, Chislehurst, which was filmed so it could be shared with their friends abroad.

Project co-ordinator Andrée Jordan, from Ravensbourne School, said: “The beauty of projects like ours is that it gets children within our community together and children across the world, equipping them to become global citizens, ready to work in our increasingly global community.”

The celebration evening featured African songs and Morris dancing by pupils at St George’s School in Bickley, a set from Ravensbourne School rock band The Yellowstones and a song from Beaverwood’s recent sell-out performance of Calamity Jane.

And a video message from Bere school, Zimbabwe, showing scenes from daily life, was broadcast to the audience at the event.

John Rolfe from the British Council’s schools team attended the event and said: “The British Council is proud to be working with such a great range of Bromley schools on their innovative SwiftWeavers crafts projects.

"The enriching international dimensions of teaching and learning have always been at the heart of our work and these creative activities collaborating with schools in Zimbabwe and Nigeria are having a huge impact on standards and cultural awareness.

"Many thanks to all the teachers and students involved who are bringing the world into their classrooms.”

The six Bromley schools involved are The Glebe, Pickhurst Juniors, St George’s Primary, Bickley Park School; and secondary schools Ravensbourne and Beaverwood.