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VISIT TO LAHORE NATIONAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL, FEBRUARY 2007

For a map showing the location of Lahore within Pakistan, click here.

The National Grammar School, Lahore

Situated in Lahore, Pakistan, on two sites, the school has 600 students and 70 members of staff. The students range in age from 5 years to 18 years. On one site there are mainly boys and very few girls. The students go from Years 7 to13. On the second site there are primary aged students and they are predominantly female. The school is a fee paying school and it was founded 18 years ago. Students are charged 5000 rupees per month. One of the original founders was the present principal.

The trip

I was welcomed on our first day by Ms. Nosheen, the Academic Coordinator, who is very experienced in setting up international links. School started at 7.30 am and finished at 2.00 pm, with one break of 15 minutes. I was introduced to each of the year coordinators and they introduced me to their students. All of the students were aware of my visit and were enthusiastic about future links and projects.

It was agreed that I would send details about the application by Priesthorpe School for The Stephen Lawrence Standard to enable the staff in Lahore to fully understand what it meant.



The week ended with a visit to the school by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, and a presentation from the students about the links between Lahore and Leeds. The Lord Mayor presented the students with badges with the Leeds emblem and the school with a picture of the Leeds Civic Hall.

Next Steps

  • We are planning for Year 8 pupils to become 'penfriends', using email;
  • We are planning to regularly exchange information about events happening in our schools. A notice board will be put up in each school and updated regularly to make the link real;
  • We are working on the global concept of sustainable development.
    We propose to start on small activities to raise awareness on improving our immediate environments;
  • We plan to work initially with the Art, English, Geography departments and the Pass Centre;
  • Priesthorpe School has been invited to take part in an Art competition in Lahore on saving the wetlands;
  • We plan to establish a team of teachers in each school to work on specific projects;
  • We plan to share good practice; Priesthorpe School are to pass on ideas to do with teaching and learning and NGS to offer suggestions of how to motivate Pakistani boys in a UK setting;
  • INSET may take place by future visiting teachers;
  • Details of the visit will be shared with staff and students at Priesthorpe and to some schools in Education Leeds through the West wedge and the MEAP project; [Minority Ethnic Achievement Project]
  • Discussions on e-mentoring took place and both parties were quite excited about this prospect.

Concluding remarks

In conclusion we would like to thank the British Council for making it possible for us to take part in this innovative project which we feel can only be a positive influence in building bridges between teachers and children both now and in the future.

Mrs Squince