BIRCHWOOD High School pupils met their counterparts from South Africa as part of a visit from their partnership school.

Three teachers and pupil Nathan Magerman from Groenberg Secondary School in Grabouw, just outside Cape Town, spent a week with Birchwood students.

The partnership has been going strong since 2003 with numerous cultural exchange visits between the two schools.

Quintin Theron, a teacher of engineering at Groenberg Secondary School, said: "Already we have learned so much from being in lessons here and finding out more about the English education system."

Anne Bright, head teacher at Birchwood High added: "Our friends at Groenberg are so important to us. Through this relationship learners at Birchwood gain a very real sense of what it means to be a global citizen and also develop a much greater appreciation of the similarities between us all."

Birchwood pupils have also been inspired to raise money towards a scholarship fund for young people in Grabouw after they discovered that they had to pay to go to school.

A fundraising group called 'Team Ubuntu’ was set up by Grace Collier, Birchwood’s head girl after she visited Groenberg 18 months ago.

Along with other Birchwood students, the 16-year-old set about organising a series of events to help raise money towards the fund.

So far the team have raised nearly £2,000 with the Birchwood 5km fun run, bag packing at Asda and bake sales.

Karen Dyble, media manager at Birchwood High, said: "‘Ubuntu’ is a South African phrase meaning ‘people are people through other people’ and Birchwood High School’s partnership with Groenberg Secondary is a great example of this idea."