As the song goes, Tulips from Amsterdam, a North East school is set to join some Students from Amsterdam later this month.
Students at West Denton Primary School (WDPS) are preparing for a trip of a lifetime, along with their teachers to Theo Thijssenschool in Amsterdam, to build on the culture they have developed at the school and enhance their Life Skills Challenge Award learning experiences.
The Turing Scheme project will involve years 5 and 6 students visiting Amsterdam, observing and learning from world cultures and then drawing conclusions that may affect their own growth. The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s scheme to provide funding for international opportunities in education across the world, by offering pupils life-changing experiences to study abroad, post-Brexit.
Mick MingStones, Head Teacher at WDPS told us why they wanted to be part of this project: “I wanted to give WDPS students the opportunity to compare their own lifestyles with those of Dutch counterparts. The ultimate aim is for them to draw their own conclusions which result in making positive choices in terms of their own habits and behaviours.”
The hope is that the student ambassadors develop resilience and appreciate the importance of travel for learning from other cultures, as they strive to live out the WDPS Core Values throughout their own life journeys.
Their Dutch journey will commence on March 27th, as they cycle from the school to DFDS Seaways in North Shields, where they will set sail for Amsterdam for their four day excursion; the idea being they leave the smallest carbon footprint possible on their journey. Alfie Ross, 11 told us what he is most looking forward to: “Going on the ferry, as I’ve never been on one before.”
Josh Smith, 10: “I am looking forward to learning some of their language.” Omnia Rutherford, 10 told us: “I can’t wait to see the views and am looking forward to cycling around Amsterdam.”
Many Dutch people travel by bike and make healthy life choices daily which makes them the envy of Europe. They do not call themselves cyclists, they simply ride a bike as a matter of course.
Concluding what they want to get out of the project, Mick told us: “My dream is that the Life Manual becomes an online resource that is accessed by young people internationally and that this resource helps them to survive, prosper and thrive in life, especially if they are going through a tough time. I hope it gives them the life skills to cope when things get tough.”