STAFF and pupils at St Bede CE School put the perfect 'Finnish' to their innovative EEC project to forge links with schools abroad . . .

The primary school on Morris Green Lane, Bolton, joined in the Socrates Project which offers support and funding to encourage educational links with other EEC countries.

As a result, St Bede made contact with Myllypuron Ala-Asteen School in Helskinki, Finland, as well as the Colegio 26 de Febrero in Malaga, Spain.

And the headteacher from Finland, Marianne Ropponen and her deputy, Anna Hirvonen, have just completed a seven day visit.

The visiting teachers stayed with members of the school's staff and attended a special church service at St Bede Church, before lunch with the school governors and Euro MP Gary Titley.

During their stay, Marianne and Anna visited St Peter's School and Smithills Dean, which are also involved in a European exchange with a Finnish school, and a variety of local places of interest.

The three schools decided between them to use 'Festivals' as their chosen project.

The schools have been exchanging art and written work produced in each school over the last 12 months.

In addition, they have exchanged a weekly weather report to learn more about the climate of each other's country.

It is then hoped that the children in each of the schools will produce work on a topic describing their own community and country to be exchanged and form part of a multi-lingual calendar to be published in all the schools next year.

St Bede has successfully bid for funds to allow the children to set up video conferences over the Internet between the three schools, and it is hoped that, during the Autumn term, pupils will be able to see and hear one another.

Headteacher Mr Jack Hatch said: "This is an exciting development which we hope we can use not only to show the children the importance of communication, but also to help them to understand and be more tolerant of different communities throughout Europe, and indeed the world."

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