PUPILS from a West Devon primary school jetted off to Germany in celebration of International Education Week recently.

Pupils at St Andrew's Primary School in Buckland Monachorum visited Franziskus Grundschule in Dortmund, Germany as part of their involvement in a European Schools Partnership Project 'Win Doors to Europe'.

Pupils have been finding out about what it is like to live in each other's countries using the theme of 'looking out and looking in'.

They have shared ideas for a European playground, carried out entrepreneurial activities, kept a digital photographic record of the same view during a year, created their own logo and learned Christmas carols and customs from the partner countries. The students presented their school and its project work to parents, staff and the local community in Dortmund.

Headteacher Sarah Pendle said: 'International education is vitally important, as we want all our pupils to be "World class citizens" in an increasingly global world. By taking part in our WinDoors project, children have been able to learn alongside pupils from other countries and settings and so have had many doors and windows of opportunity open to them.'

The British Council, this year championing International Education Week, has supported more than 5,300 partnerships between schools in the UK and in other countries worldwide in 2009-10.

This year the organisation presented 983 schools nationwide with the International School Award, which recognises schools that do exceptional work to bring the world into their classrooms.

St Andrew's School achieved the International School Award for the third time this year. The school works with partner schools in Torre del Greco, Italy, Dortmund, Germany and with Okehampton Primary School, with support from the EC's Comenius Programme.