Connecting Classrooms
The MH education team from Islamabad pays Parkinson Lane Community Primary School a visit
Approaching Parkinson Lane Community Primary School in Halifax, we were struck not only by the size of the beautifully preserved Victorian building, but also by the many impressive artworks made from different scrap materials, that adorned its walls.
We were here to find out about a connecting classrooms project between Parkinson Lane School and the Muslim Hands School of Excellence in Islamabad.
We run Schools of Excellence across Asia and Africa, giving orphaned and needy children access to a quality education, nutritious meals and state-of-the-art facilities. A team from MH Islamabad was here to see what they could learn from teachers in the UK.
Walking around the classrooms, we were overwhelmed by all the beautiful displays, the excellent resources and the comfortable spaces created for students to get the best out of their learning. Hafeez and Tahseen greeted staff and children as we passed through the rooms, joking that they, the visitors, now had visitors of their own.
As we all stood watching papier mache London burn, Head teacher Mr Ahmed joked with teachers and students alike, even using the leaf blowing machine on the Deputy Head’s hair to check it would be strong enough to spread the fire. Children in costume narrated the story of the fire and the rest of the pupils sang ‘London’s Burning’.
Tanzeela, Head of Curriculum Assessment of Muslim Hands schools, expressed her interest in the multi-layered teaching approach of UK schools, where one theme would be explored through a range of different activities and across all subjects. Amna, Head teacher of the Islamabad School of Excellence, commented that, ‘at Parkinson Lane, the triangle of teacher, student and parent is very strong’ with parents being invited to participate in everything from the before-school breakfast club to morning assemblies. Hafeez and Tahseen were keen to develop ways of helping students in the Schools of Excellence to learn beyond books, something we had seen in action just half an hour earlier.
Both schools are also raising standards in terms of the facilities they offer their students. As I mentioned earlier, the array of learning resources and spaces in Parkinson Lane is truly exceptional. Back in Pakistan, the Islamabad School of Excellence offers a computer lab, science lab and a library housing over 1,500 books. But the biggest similarity that struck me about these two learning institutions operating over 5,000 miles away from each other was the passion of the staff.
From the minute we arrived at Parkinson Lane Community Primary School we could see that everyone from the admin and reception staff to the Head teacher himself were completely dedicated to making the school a success. Their position in the top 5% of primaries in the UK was proof of their efforts. That same enthusiasm and commitment to learning emanated from the MH team and it was reassuring to see that the 454 needy students (123 of which are orphans) attending the Islamabad School of Excellence are receiving a quality education from such passionate teachers and education staff.
As the school day drew to a close we really were sad to be leaving. As we left Parkinson Lane we could see some of the children taking part in one of the seventy-two extra-curricular clubs that the school runs through the year and I thought of Mr Ahmed telling me about how badly Parkinson Lane was doing when he first joined fifteen years ago. In just four years the school had been through six different head teachers and it was ranked one of the lowest-achieving schools in the country.
What a transformation! I felt honoured that such a wonderful school had chosen to partner with Muslim Hands and with such positivity and passion for giving children an education and a future, evident in both the team here and the MH team from Pakistan I feel confident that it is a partnership that as well as benefitting students now, will benefit many more children to come.
By Tijen Horoz, Senior Communications Editor
