THREE teachers have headed out to the Black Sea in search of new ways of teaching.

Katy Boothby, Su Tedham and Kathryn Vaughan of Bickerton Primary School are building on links with a school there.

The visit is part of their Teachers’ International Professional Development and funded by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

The group is looking at how English is taught as a foreign language at Hope School and after observing several lessons, each of the three will have the chance to teach English to Odessa pupils.

Class Three teacher Mrs Boothby said that following her initial visit to Ukraine with the British Council in 2005, Bickerton has been eager to build on links between the two schools.

“We are looking forward to getting there and strengthening our relationship.

“Pupils mainly speak in Ukrainian or Russian but they are taught English as a foreign language.

“We will be looking at how they do that with a view to bringing back teaching methods and using them when we teach our children a foreign language like French.”

It will be the first time that Class Three teacher Mrs Tedham and Class Four teacher Mrs Vaughan have visited Ukraine and all three are looking forward to the experience of observing and teaching in a education system more than 2,000 miles away.

Mrs Boothby added: “The children have been keeping in touch with penpals and we have been recording videos of the primary school and Bishop Heber High School as Hope School is a high school as well.

“The children have also produced a school prospectus specifically for other children that we will be taking with us.”