This document summarizes the partnership between Birchfields Primary School in the UK and Beijing Primary Day School in China over the course of several years. It describes how the partnership began in 2009 and the various joint curriculum projects the schools have undertaken, including celebrating traditional holidays, sharing stories and art, and learning about each other's cultures and languages. Activities at both schools included Chinese brush painting, dragon dances, and British afternoon tea parties. Teachers from each school visited the other to observe lessons and further strengthen their educational exchange.

1. Birchfields Primary School and Beijing Primary Day School A Tale of Two Schools d

2. How the link started The link began in 2009-2010 when Mrs Lee-Spencer went on our first visit to The Beijing Primary Day School. She signed an agreement with the Headteacher Miss Eva Haiyan Sang to make sure that we carried on working together in the future. This year we applied for funding for a Joint Curriculum Project with the British Council.

4. When we arrived at the school on Monday morning we were surprised to see a big banner welcoming us! This is Tiffany and Vivian who are both English teachers at the school.

6. Flag Ceremony

7. Speeches

10. Traditional Celebration Birchfields Primary School Year 1 children learnt the story behind Chinese New Year, both in school and through work sessions with Manchester Museum. They held an assemblies for the whole school on Chinese New Year. Beijing Primary Day School We brought a tea set, dollies and cake resources and prepared staff training so that our partner school could hold a British Afternoon Tea Party in their school. We suggested that this was done to celebrate the Royal Wedding of William and Catherine.

12. Food Birchfields Primary School Through their topic of ‘food’, Year 1 learnt about Chinese food. They then held a Chinese Food Event for the whole community. Beijing Primary Day School We showed the school staff how to decorate cupcakes and make English tea so that they can now prepare for a British Afternoon Tea Party with their children.

14. Traditional Stories and Storysacks Birchfields Primary School Year 4 and Year 6 children have studied the traditional Chinese story ‘The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid’ which was given to Lai Lee-Spencer on her initial visit. Year 6 children have used ICT and Lowry inspired art to record a version of the story to be included in the storysack we have made and will present to our partner school. Beijing Primary Day School We held staff training so that our partner school can make storysacks for their own stories or for stories from the ‘Treasury of British Traditional Stories’ left as gift during the visit last year. We also taught a lesson to the children using a storysack based on a Chinese traditional story, and had prepared two storysacks to leave with the school.

16. The Arts Birchfields Primary School Year 1 and Year 6 children have taken part in Chinese brush painting, paper cutting and paper folding. They have performed Chinese dancing and a Chinese dragon dance. Beijing Primary Day School We taught a lesson of Western art in the style of Lowry, our local Manchester artist. The storysack we gave as a gift also contained Lowry artwork Birchfield’s children had prepared to go with the story.

18. Language and Culture Birchfields Primary School Two of our teachers have attended a course on Chinese Culture and Language run by the Confucius Institute at Manchester University. We have developed a ‘China Club’ which is held each week, learning about the history, customs, language and culture of China. Beijing Primary Day School On the last day we met to discuss what our Beijing friends will do next. THIS TERM: The school will now hold a traditional British Afternoon Tea Party. They will make a storysack for a traditional British story.

23. And then we were given a fantastic performance of dancing and music See the videos uploaded

24. What happens next? The partnership continues... Some teachers from The Beijing Primary Day School will visit Birchfields Primary School in July 2011. We look forward to welcoming them.

25. China

26. The Great Wall of China

27. Chinese Market Food