Five Year 10 pupils, parents and two members of staff from Stanborough Secondary School in Garston have returned from a two week trip to India where the students found themselves teaching a class of primary school children as part of the school's Cultural Awareness and Community Service ethos.

The trip was led by biology teacher, Mr Kish Poddar, the founder of STOP International, an organisation which helps children in orphanages in India.

BESSO Nursery and Primary school, which has 62 pupils, is attached to one of the orphanages he is involved with and became the focus of the students' lives for the fortnight.

Mr Poddar said: "The five Year 10 pupils together with their teachers had been planning and preparing for this trip since the previous September.

"The preparation included raising funds by participating in a 24-hour sponsored badminton, carol singing at ASDA, surviving vaccinations, shopping for the orphans, lesson preparation and packing."

The Stanborough pupils each chose a class from Years 1,2,3,4 and 5 before they left England, bringing their resources with them.

They prepared the lessons in the evenings and, like real teachers, delivered a whole day’s lessons to the orphans with each day beginning with worship at 9am. The timetable for the day was nine periods of 40 minutes each with breaks for lunch and play.