Consett Academy.

Students from the Consett Academy in County Durham travelled to India for a “once- in- a- lifetime experience”. They worked with a partner school on a special Steel Towns project, visited the Tata Steel works in Jamshedpur and experienced the country’s unique culture and history.
The 17 students, aged between 14 and 18, spent nine days with students at the RVS Academy looking at the different experiences of two of the world’s steel towns – Jamshedpur which still relies on steel employment and Consett which has worked hard to regenerate its industrial and business base after the steelworks closed in the 1980s.
"The help from UKSE made such a difference as it is often the extra costs of a trip that can be difficult for some families to find. It was the first time abroad for some students who said the trip was a privilege and an experience they would never forget"Helen Potter, Assistant Director, Consett Academy
How we did it.
We provided a £1,600 Community Support Fund grant to cover extra costs such as project t-shirts and airport transport for the British Council-funded trip.

The results.
Shared learning
The students from Consett and Jamshedpur learnt a great deal from each other. The completed project is being shared with the other 1,450 students at Consett Academy and with the local community and will be a valuable resource in the future.
Life skills
The experience, new skills and increased confidence that the trip gave the students will stand them in good stead for life.