Irlam schoolchildren are to swop their city streets for the lush green valleys of the French Alps.
Staff and pupils at Fiddlers Lane primary school, and the tiny primary Ecole Pierre Bossy in the Alpine village of Jarjayes have won funding for their first ever exchange visit.
The two schools paired up through the European Union’s Erasmus project, which brings together children from completely different backgrounds across Europe and pupils have been forging friendships through email and Skype.
But over the next two years both sets of pupils will be swopping between the industrial landscape of Irlam and the farms, fields and snow capped mountains of the Haute-Alpes.
“It started with the children writing to each other and making friends and then we expanded it to sharing school work. Jarjayes takes part in a school maths games league and we are now the only English school to play in that,” said headteacher Julie Carson.
“We were told that funding might be available from the European Union for both schools to do an exchange visit so both schools applied and both were successful. We are sharing 66000 Euros – about £48,000 to fund the trip.
“We couldn’t be more different so it will be an amazing experience for all the children. The school has just 48 pupils and it is surrounded by farm land with views of the mountains while we have we have 240 pupils and are surrounded by houses.
“We will be doing a project on farming culture when we visit and their pupils will be studying the Industrial Revolution and the Bridgewater Canal.”
Jarjayes sits on the side of a steep Alpine ridge and is three and a half hours drive from Nice airport. The village has a population of 418 and is a popular Alpine hiking and camping spot.
It has a medieval castle ruined in the late 1500s during a religious civil war and a ruined chapel and 17th century church to which have been added a 19th century chapel, church and chateau.
Pupils from Jarjayes will visit Irlam next year and Irlam pupils will go to France in 2017.
Councillor John Merry, executive lead member for children’s services, learning and skills, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for children from two very different communities to get to know each other, enhance their language skills and perhaps form lifelong friendships.
“ I hope all the children taking part have a wonderful time and I know Irlam will make their French visitors very welcome.”
