A NORTH-EAST academy has hosted two teachers from India after being chosen to develop international links as part of a school twinning project.

Connecting Classrooms is a UK government and British Council education initiative and St Aidan's Academy, in Darlington, was selected in recognition of its commitment to teaching students about global issues.

Last week, the Academy hosted a three-day visit of two teachers from Dayanand Public School in India. Both were on their first visits to the UK.

The visit follows a similar one earlier this year when Academy staff members Richard Johnson and Steph Francom went to Dayanand Public School at Easter.

Swrna Mishra, the Principal of Dayanand Public School, which is in Jamshedpur, and Rakhi Choudhary, an IT teacher, began their visit with a tour of the Academy.

They also visited Redcar and Whitby and met Mayor of Darlington Councillor Charles Johnson at the Town Hall on Thursday (May 23).

The Redcar visit was especially significant because both schools are located in industrial areas; the Indian school is in area dominated by steel firm Tata, which also operates on Teesside and both areas have plants run by engine maker Cummins.

Swrna said: "We hope the visit will allow us to exchange cultural knowledge and share best practice between our schools. It will allow us to learn about each other's cultures."

Steph Francom, Assistant Principal, said: "This visit will enrich our students' studies. It will teach them about different cultures and help them appreciate that there is a world out there beyond Darlington.

"It is also interesting because 90-95 per cent of the area in which the Indian school is based is surrounded by heavy industry whereas our steel industry on Teesside is recovering from difficult times. The exchange allows our students to explore the differences."

St Aidan's principal Catherine McCoy said: "It is important that our students are enriched in their studies and learn about different cultures.

"Darlington is a smallish town which does not have a particularly strong multi-cultural population and these kind of visits help students learn about other cultures and faiths. They help our students appreciate what they have and engage with the opportunities that are available for them."

Among the students who met the Indian visitors were year 8 students Nicole and Leon Robson, both 12.

Leon said; "It was really interesting to learn about India from people who have travelled from the country. It was a good experience."

Nicole said: "It was something new and different and it was a good experience."