PUPILS and teachers from Leverton Schools, Waltham Abbey, swapped continents to learn more about their partnership school in Maryland, America.

Ellis Spicer and Umut Bektas, both 11, Leverton Junior School headteacher Janet Larkey, assistant headteacher Christine Tait and Leverton Infants School teacher Amanda Beggs spent a week at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Bethesda, near Washington DC. The partnership has been running for more than ten years and involved many visits including Kensington Parkwood principal John Ceshini bringing his entire choir to Leverton in Easter 2001.

Each year all the Leverton Year 6 children are asked to write an essay on why they should be chosen to go to America.

The best ten essays are anonymously faxed to Kensington Parkwood and the Americans choose their two favourites.

The group, who stayed with American families, spent the week in school learning how the American education system worked and visiting local sights.

Umut said: "The trip was very exciting. My favourite part was going to school on the yellow buses with the American students.

"But, it didn't feel right walking into school not wearing a uniform."

Mrs Tait said: "I was really looking forward to revisiting the school as it had been eight years since my first visit and I had a wonderful time then.

"As a teacher it is always interesting to find out how other places run their education system.

"There, of course, were many similarities.

"However, I found their curriculum seemed to be based on numerous photocopied worksheets, with little differentiation for less and more able students."