Jane Higgins, Primary Languages Coordinator, Meanwood C.P. School, Rochdale, with thanks to Daryl Bailey, Hove Park School

If the thought of taking nearly five hundred children aged from 3 to 11, to eight different countries on sixteen different flights fills you with horror, then worry not, as that is exactly what we did at our school, and guess what?...we enjoyed every minute of it too!

For this year’s International Week we decided to transform our hall into Meanwood Airport and our mezzanine classroom into a Boeing 747.
 
Before our departure dates a flight timetable was planned, each year group chose where they wanted to fly to and we issued everyone travelling with a Meanwood passport, luggage label and ticket.

A letter home to parents informed them of our plans and we asked that every child brought a small piece of luggage into school with them on the day of their flight. Parents who worked in the travel industry were invaluable, supplying us with posters and even uniforms.

Internet auction sites were also another great source and we were able to obtain seatbelts, life jackets, flight attendants hats and even oxygen masks.  A few searches on Google unearthed airport security signs and aeroplane safety briefing cards to use. Searching ‘You Tube’ we discovered clips filmed from aeroplane cockpits that we could use for take off and landing.

One of our Nursery Nurses must have received some strange looks when she started taking photographs from the plane window returning from holiday, but once enlarged, laminated and mounted in shaped frames they became very realistic aeroplane windows.

Creative classroom assistants transformed the mezzanine room into the plane and inspired ideas such as felt squares on the chairs to act as headrests and plastic wallets stapled onto the chair backs for safety briefing cards. Sick bags, in-flight magazines and menus all helped create the necessary ambience.

On departure day itself all airport workers came to school dressed in black and white, sporting matching neck scarves. The hall doors had been covered so none of the children knew what to expect. As they entered, trundling their suitcases behind them, first stop was the check-in desks; here the children handed over their tickets and by ‘checking the computer’ were allocated a numbered boarding pass.

Next it was onto baggage check-in, where luggage was weighed and labels checked. Of course questions such as, ‘Have you packed your bag yourself sir?’ and ‘Are you carrying anything for anyone else?’ were routine and anyone who didn’t answer satisfactorily subjected to a security check. Behind baggage check-in willing Year 6’s acted as baggage handlers, to miraculously deliver all luggage back to classrooms whilst passengers were on board.

Finally Passport Control, which provided a few smiles, especially when staff compared passport photographs, some of which the children had drawn themselves and a few eyebrows were raised when checking dates of birth on teachers’ passports!

We constructed a departure lounge with a few comfy chairs and to keep the children occupied had travel brochures, magazines, holiday questionnaires and aeroplane colouring sheets for the younger children. The departure board was a PowerPoint projected onto the wall, with flight status updated regularly.

A realistic tannoy chime signalled that flights were boarding and the passengers passed through a security scanner (made and painted by our fabulous caretaker), placing valuables in trays and keeping fingers crossed they didn’t beep.

Climbing the stairs to board the plane, they were greeted by cabin crew and boarding cards checked to ensure they were allocated the correct seat.

We discovered a safety briefing video, again from ‘You Tube’ and cabin crew demonstrated equipment in time the commentary, played on the interactive whiteboard, before we fastened our seatbelts and watched the take off clip.

The highlight for many of the children was the in-flight entertainment as we played a Tom and Jerry cartoon and served refreshments from the trolley.

All too soon it was time to land; thanks to another ‘You Tube’ clip and once the plane was safely on the tarmac the captain welcomed everyone to their destination informing them of the local time and temperature.

On disembarking the plane the children were then free to spend the rest of the week exploring their new country and some of its language through a range of activities. Local high schools helped us by providing language taster sessions ranging from Spanish to Greek, Italian to Portuguese there was lots of dancing from salsa to Capoeiro. The children visiting Italy planned their own masqued ball, those visiting Brazil held a Rio Carnival and a World Cup Football Competition. We also had Chinese script writing taking place and everywhere you went during the week the smell of food being both cooked and tasted wafted through the air. A Greek taverna was located in Year One with the Reception children  next door dining in style in their own tapas bar. The range of opportunities and experiences on offer was vast, all areas of the curriculum were being met from literacy and numeracy, through to ICT. Languages and the creative subjects.
 
To sum up what came out of the week is impossible in a few sentences. From the children’s perspective they had so many new experiences and enhanced their knowledge of different cultures and languages. Their comments and the work now on display around the school is testament to that. As for the staff, it was a wonderful opportunity to share our skills and talents, be it role playing as cabin crew, or teaching a specialised subject to a different year group, everyone had their part to play and everyone was involved and above all we had fun. A little jet lagged at the end of the week undoubtedly, but as with the best of holidays the memories and experiences will last a lifetime.