The following article comes from Hazel Community Primary School in Leicester.
From Saturday 2th April until Thursday 1st May 2025, sixteen Year 5 pupils and four members of staff from Hazel Community Primary School in Leicester, undertook an incredible trip to visit their partner school, Hilali Targa International School in Marrakech, Morocco.
At Hazel, we have a deep commitment to the International Dimension of our curriculum. All children in Key Stage Two are taught French weekly and we have partners in many different parts of the French-speaking world. However, this was the first time that we had ever been able to actually go and visit out partners in person. The trip was made possible by funding from the Turing Scheme, as well as support from the Global School Alliance to organise the logistics and was an incredible opportunity for our pupils to experience life in the city of Marrakech and work collaboratively with pupils of their own age on range of activities over three amazing days.
I have to say, I think this was most life-changing trip we have ever been able to offer to pupils, both in terms of the cultural experiences and also the opportunities to build resilience, problem-solving and communication skills that it provided.
On our return, we wanted to share all of our amazing experiences and learning with our school community so on the morning of Friday 9th May we held our very first ‘Celebrate Morocco’ event in the school hall. The event was attended by staff, pupils, parents, governors, city councillors and our local M.P, Shockat Adam. The pupils, many of whom were dressed in traditional Moroccan clothing, shared pictures and videos of their experiences and told the assembled audience all about the different activities they had taken part in and the learning they had done.
The presentation was then followed by Moroccan food and mint tea, kindly provided by member of the school’s Moroccan community, and then it was time for a Zoom call with His Excellency Mr. Hakim Hajoui, Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
This was an opportunity to use some of the Arabic greetings and introductions we had learned during our trip; present some of the things we had done during our stay; and find out more about the role of an Ambassador in building diplomatic links between countries.
Mr. Hajoui spoke to us about the historical links between Morocco and the United Kingdom, as well as the importance of intercultural exchange and understanding and rounded off our celebration in the most wonderful way possible.
As a school, we have already applied for Turing funding for the up-coming academic year so that our current Year 4 children can also experience the incredible culture of the Morocco and work collaboratively with their partners at Hilali Targa International next year. Thank you, Global School Alliance, for making this possible for our pupils!
