How will a group of teachers from Cheshire, used to whiteboards and broadband, react when asked to teach in Soweto - where they are lucky to have enough desks and a piece of chalk? The programme follows primary and secondary teachers as they try to cope with the new surroundings and class sizes of sixty. We also see teachers coming to terms with the poverty and disease that affect most pupils. But the biggest surprise comes not from the conditions or the problems but from the behaviour of the children and the attitude of their teachers. The visit was organised as part of an education link that was first established between Cheshire and Soweto more than ten years ago. The programme explores how a foreign link can provide teachers with experiences to share with their class and material to inject into the curriculum. It shows how schools from both counties benefit through cultural exchanges such as bringing traditional tribal dancing to Cheshire, and Maypole dancing to Soweto.

Video Series: Inspirations
Release Date 2006