International Links
At Rosa Street Primary School, we are committed to helping our children explore and understand the wider world. Through our international work and partnerships with schools in other countries, pupils gain meaningful insight into different cultures, school settings and ways of life, while also discovering shared interests with children around the globe. Our pupils are encouraged to think globally, act with empathy and champion children’s rights, developing into responsible and informed global citizens.
International School Award Ceremony 2026
We were incredibly proud to be invited to the Houses of Parliament to receive an award recognising our school’s outstanding work in developing the international dimension of the curriculum.
This reflects the brilliant work taking place across our school, including meaningful partnerships with schools in Sri Lanka and South Korea. These experiences help our pupils develop curiosity, empathy and a real understanding of the wider world.
This work is vital in preparing our children to be confident, respectful global citizens, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved together.
Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band Brings Global Culture to Rosa Street – July 2025
As part of the Durham Brass Festival, Rosa Street Primary School was thrilled to welcome the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band for a live performance. Every pupil in the school experienced the joy of traditional Indian brass music, complete with vibrant sounds, dancing, and colourful cultural expression. This whole-school celebration of international culture was a joyful reminder of the power of music to connect people across the world.
Global Pen Pals – Letter Exchange with Sri Lanka – June 2025
As part of their English and international learning, Year 2 pupils at Rosa Street Primary School wrote letters to children at our partner school, G/ Thiththagalla Atanikitha K.V. in Sri Lanka. The children shared details about their school, classroom and life in Spennymoor, including their favourite lessons and local landmarks.
To their delight, the class received handwritten letters and special videos from the Sri Lankan pupils, who introduced themselves and gave a glimpse into their school life and culture. Our pupils were fascinated by the similarities and differences and couldn’t wait to respond. They created drawings and recorded their own video messages to send back—full of smiles, questions and thanks.
This two-way exchange helped bring learning to life, encouraged purposeful writing, and strengthened our global partnership. Most importantly, it showed the children how powerful communication can be in building friendships across the world.
Rosa Street School works hard to introduce our children to the wider world around them, including places in other countries. Being involved in projects such as Connecting Classrooms has enabled links with other schools and from these links children have gained a better understanding of the context of each school including cultural norms, school setting, children’s interests and how people in other countries live. Children at Rosa Street are encouraged to become global citizens and take part in regular activities to champion children’s rights around the world.
Festival of Languages – January to March 2025
As part of the Express Yourself – Festival of Languages, pupils from Nursery, Year 2, and Year 6 at Rosa Street Primary School explored new languages and cultures through creative and interactive activities.
Nursery and Year 2 enjoyed a lively French puppet show delivered by Lingotots, where they sang, spoke, and acted out French phrases. They followed up with speaking and listening activities in class, continuing to use the new language throughout the day.
Year 6 took part in a Japanese language and culture workshop, where they learned key phrases and explored the world of anime. They created their own anime characters using different artistic techniques and even had a go at writing in Japanese!
The event inspired pupils to express themselves through language, art, and movement, while developing a deeper appreciation for other cultures. It was a fantastic opportunity to build confidence, curiosity and global awareness across all key stages.
Festival of Languages – Year 2 – French Puppet Show
International Day – January 2025
Rosa Street Primary School celebrated its annual International Day with a vibrant week of learning, discovery, and cultural exploration. Each class focused on a different country, immersing themselves in its traditions, language, food, geography, and religion through a wide range of creative, cross-curricular activities.
Year 1 learned about Spain, linking to our partner school in Gran Canaria, and discovered similarities and differences in customs and climate. Year 2 focused on Sri Lanka, making flags, cooking stir fry, and researching the country using Google Earth and iPads. Year 3 explored France, Year 4 studied Italy, Year 5 investigated Brazil, and Year 6 learned all about India, even making their own Indian dips!
The week culminated in a whole-school assembly, where each class presented their learning and shared what they had discovered. The event was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop global awareness, appreciate cultural diversity, and reflect on life beyond their own community. International Day is an important part of our commitment to promoting global citizenship and inclusive, high-quality education for all. Below you can see photos taken during the class assemblies, as well as more information about what Year 2, 4 & 6 got up to.
Nursery & Reception celebrate Chinese New Year – January 2025
Children in Nursery and Reception took part in a vibrant week of Chinese New Year celebrations. Pupils explored Chinese culture through dragon dancing, traditional music, mask making and food tasting. They learned basic Mandarin greetings, located China on a world map, and discovered famous landmarks like the Great Wall of China. The week ended with a colourful Chinese New Year party, where both year groups came together to celebrate. This immersive experience helped our youngest learners develop curiosity, cultural awareness, and a deeper appreciation for global traditions.
Christmas at Rosa Street – December 2024
As part of our international learning, pupils across Rosa Street Primary School took part in a week-long project exploring Christmas traditions in England and around the world. Each year group studied different customs through creative, cross-curricular activities in subjects such as RE, English, Art, and Geography. Highlights included Christingle making, church visits, and a whole-school nativity. The project helped pupils develop global awareness, cultural understanding and a deeper appreciation of our diverse world.
Here you can find a PowerPoint presentation with photographs and the key learning points from the activity: Christmas at Rosa Street Primary School
Festival of Languages
Pupils at Rosa Street were chosen to participate in recording their version of Pharell’s ‘Happy’ in Spanish. They visited Collingwood College at Durham University to record in a state of the art facility. Their recording will now be shared with other school in the North-East to support them to learn the song too.
After learning about how New Year is celebrated in China, we were lucky enough to be sent some information from our partner school in Sri Lanka about their New Year. New Year in Sri Lanka (where the main religion is Buddhism) falls on the 13th or 14th of April .Both Sinhalese and Tamils celebrate this festival and follow a number of rituals on and after this day. This is celebrated according to the transition of Zodiac signs. Sri Lankans buy new clothes and new furniture to adore themselves as well as preparing traditional food items.
The children across school were fascinated by the difference between the two cultures and we’re grateful to our Sri Lankan colleagues for taking the time to help us learn more about their culture.
Wesak Full Moon Poya Day- Sri Lanka
Gran Canaria Residential
Our Year 5 and 6 pupils were lucky enough to travel to visit our partner school in Gran Canaria in May. We were greeted on our first day with a formal welcome ceremony before spending some time with the Spanish children in their classroom. We were also lucy enough to spend time learning traditional Canarian games at the beach which we then taught other children from our school once e returned home. It was also loveyl to spend time exploring Gran Canaria and and learning about the history of the island from our tour guides. We are looking forward to hosting some teachers and pupils from our partner school in the coming year.
Culture Day
We held a culture day in school to develop our children’s knowledge of cultures around the world. Each class chose a different country and spent the day taking part in a range of activities that linked to their chosen country. The children then shared their work with the rest of the school in an online assembly.
Christmas in Gran Canaria
We’ve been working closely with our partner school in Gran Canaria and as part of our project work both schools have prepared presentations about Christmas in their respective countries. Staff shared the work sent from our Gran Canaria partner school with the children and we all learnt so much about how Christmas is different in the Canary Islands. These are a selection of the presentations sent from the children in Gran Canaria.
Christmas In Gran Canaria
Christmas in Gran Canaria 2
Christmas in Gran Canaria 3
Chinese New Year
Year 5 and 6 have recently held a zoom call with Zhihan from Durham University. She explained all about the traditions that take please around Chinese New Year in her native China and the children were able to ask questions to deepen their understanding. We can’t wait to work more closely with Zhihan in the near future on an upcoming project.
British Council International School Reaccreditation Award success for Rosa Street Primary School
Rosa Street Primary School in Spennymoor has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.
The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life work in today’s world.
Rosa Street’s international work includes:
- The international dimension is firmly established in our school’s curriculum and whole-school ethos, promoting citizenship and foreign language learning, and celebrating cultural diversity across the school and wider community.
- We have active links with schools in Sri Lanka and Kenya which are providing rich learning opportunities for both pupils and staff.
- Weekly teaching includes the requisite element of foreign language learning (French) supported by our local secondary school and partner school in France.
- The international activities cover a range of subject areas and age groups, with international work taking place throughout the year. This is well managed and coordinated so that it is an integral part of our annual curriculum, dovetailing neatly with the topic-based learning approach.
- Our pupils are developing important citizenship skills and attributes such as tolerance and respect.
- We acknowledge the benefits of international work for staff professional development, in terms of increased awareness of issues and how to address them in the curriculum.
- We are proud to be able to involve local community members and parents/families in our multi-cultural activities and celebrations.
On hearing the news that Rosa Street had received the award Mrs Ashton, Headteacher said “We are absolutely delighted that the hard work of staff and students has been accredited and recognised by the organisation. The work we do promotes an understanding of a variety of cultures, languages, and traditions and in doing so we aim to enrich the lives of both our students and those who we work with for a globalised world.”
Partnership Schools
Midigama Maha Vidyalaya
We have been working with Mr Patabengai, Midigami in Sri Lanka since 2014. It is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka in the Matara District, southern province and lies 23.5km from the city of Galle. The school has approximately 800 pupils aged 5-16. I was already working with the school in Sri Lanka when I changed schools. The Sri Lankans were keen to continue our working relationship when I joined my new school, Rosa Street Primary in 2014. Over the years we have developed a collaborative and supportive relationship working on action plans and joint projects. Reciprocal visits each year has enabled different members of staff to visit each other’s school which has been very beneficial to the work undertaken and has strengthened the link through first hand experiences. Our teachers have visited the school yearly and the Sri Lankan teachers have visited Rosa Street Primary. We work on joint projects and our children are able to learn about Sri Lankan traditions and customs.
Ecole Elementaire Jean Racine
We have worked with the school “Ecole Jean-Racine elementary school in the Chateauroux region in France since 2015. since then we have visited the school with our pupils while on our visit to Paris. We have worked on joint projects such as “Our school” and “Festivals”. The partnership has befitted our pupils as it encourages them to speak and write another language and to visit another country where they can experience everyday life that is different to their own. Our children have visited the school and enjoy working together.
Rangenya Primary School
Rangenya Primary School is a state primary school situated in a rural region, within Ndhiwa Sub County. Ndhiwa Sub County is situated within Homa Bay County, in Western Kenya. Schools in the region have typically been neglected by the Kenyan government. As a result, schools have poor academic facilities, dilapidated overcrowded classrooms, limited infrastructure and a shortage of teachers.
Sri Lanka 2020
Mrs Ashton and Mrs Lazenby had a fantastic time when they visited our twin school in Sri Lanka early this year. Please have a look at some of the amazing photos taken during their exciting visit.
Kenya 2019
Mrs Wilson received a warm welcome when they visited our twin school in Kenya in October 2019. Please have a look at some of the wonderful photos taken during their exciting visit.
France Residential – 2019
Year 5 and 6 children had the opportunity to participate in a visit to France and meet up with our local partnership school. The children visited places of cultural interest, such as the Effiel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Norte-Dame, other religious buildings from other cultures and Montmartre as well as a visit to local markets and a local school. This visit allowed children to realise how people from different cultures live and provided pupils meaningful opportunities to practise French languages skills.
Water
We chose to use the Gobal goal no. 6 “Clean water and sanitation.” Initially, the Year 5 and 6 worked on the activities then the whole school became involved during Water Week. We wanted to highlight to our pupils the importance of water (something they take for granted). We also wanted to link this activity in to our Rights Respecting initiative. The pupils learned that water is at the heart of sustainable development and it is important for the process of social and economic development, energy, food production, healthy ecosystems and for human survival. It is also a rights issue as all communities have the right to have enough water for their needs, not only to drink, use for cooking but for sanitation. Children investigated water-related challenges in the world’s poorest countries: – drinking water; sanitation facilities; collecting water from contaminated sources; water scarcity; wastewater contaminating rivers or sea; water used for irrigation; number of deaths due to water and sanitation related diseases and most of all why it matters to have clean water and sanitation and what is being done about it, for example World water week The whole school participated in World Water week and concluded our event with a celebration of water on World Water day 22 March 2019 – focussing on importance of water for everyone.
Favourite Traditional Stories
Year 6 pupils spent time during English lessons researching their favourite stories. They then worked on acting out the stories and discussing any moral dilemmas. They then retold the stories and wrote their own version. These were sent to Sri Lanka. The pupils from Sri Lanka sent letters of thanks and asked when Mrs Harrison visited the school she would read the pupils the original stories. While Mrs Lazenby, Mrs Hilton and Mrs Atkinson were in Sri Lanka they not only read the stories but taught a series of English lessons to the pupils, giving them the same learning experiences as their counterparts in the UK. From this the pupils tried writing their own stories which were then photographed and brought to the UK. Not finished Year 6 pupils spent time in English researching favourite stories. They then worked on acting out the stories and discussing any moral dilemmas. They then retold the stories and wrote their own version. These were sent to Sri Lanka. What was to be a one off teaching experience Mrs Lazenby, Mrs Hilton and Mrs Atkinson worked with the children giving them the same learning experiences as their counterparts in the UK. From this the pupils tried writing their stories and doing drama work.
International week – Christmas around the World!
As part of our Christmas celebration we have shared Christmas cards over the last few years with Sri Lanka. This activity was initially instigated by the pupils. This year each class planned work for the week before we broke up for Christmas. All classes selected a different country for activities to be based around. These included: Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Brazil, India, Mexico and Australia. Work was shared in assemblies at the end of the week and used to make a lovely display. It was a fantastic opportunity for all pupils to find out more about when and how Christmas is celebrated around Europe and the rest of the world.
First World War Armistice Centenary 2018
The whole school have been learning all about the events of the world wars this week. A World War re-enactment company joined us in school and children brought items of interest into school.
Sikhism in Year 4/5 – Autumn 2018
This term we have been learning about different religions including Sikhism. We have explored the beliefs of Sikhs and how these beliefs can be expressed. We had lots of interesting questions for our special visitor Cloud Singh which helped us learn lots about the religion.
London Visit 2018
Children had an exciting itinerary that included a West End show, visit to the Tower of London, a river cruise, Natural History Museum visit and the London Eye experience.
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