PUPILS took their peers on a round-the-globe foray designed to widen horizons and appreciate the world around them.
Year 6 children from Barnard Castle Preparatory School staged a day-long tourism fair as part of their Achievement Award, a much-valued alternative to SATs.
Children selected a country of their choice before researching every aspect of its culture. They then set up stalls featuring a host of interesting facts, games, artefacts and even food types which they shared with young visitors to the event from other year groups.
Teacher Katy Shearn said: “The children put so much effort into their stalls and I think we have all learned a great deal about the world that we did not know before.
“They found so many interesting facts, researched games and even food, so as well as covering the geography element of the Achievement Award it used a variety of other skills.”
Headmistress Laura Turner said: “The annual tourism fair is one of my favourite events because the children are so enthused by the event.
“Year 6 pupils delight in the opportunity to research foreign climes, the younger children learn such a lot from the experience and look forward to the day when they will be manning those stalls.”
The tourism fair is an important part of the school’s Achievement Award, which replaces the traditional SATs exams in Year 6.
Instead, pupils learn a huge range of skills throughout their final primary year including basic first aid and cookery and become involved in an innovative research project which is presented to a panel of teachers and pupils.
“At Prep School, mental health and wellbeing is given the highest priority and we see little value in creating unnecessary stress through formal exams,” Mrs Turner said. “Instead we see our pupils throw themselves into our Achievement Award programme which is better for them and their parents.”