Salford City Academy played host to headteacher Salma Ather last week, when she flew in from Pakistan to sample life in a British school.
In charge of St. Andrew’s Church School in Lahore, Mrs Ather was one of four headteachers from Pakistan visiting the UK as part of a month long tour of primary and secondary schools in Greater Manchester, organised by the Diocese of Manchester – a sponsoring partner of Salford City Academy, with links to the Diocese of Lahore.
Mrs Ather, who is responsible for almost 400 children at her school, spent a week at the academy meeting staff and students, visiting lessons and attending special events and assemblies to learn more about the British education system and to discover new ideas for her own school’s management and education provision.
Commenting on the visit, Salford City Academy Principal Helen Mackenzie OBE said:
“We were happy to give Mrs Ather a flavour of life at the academy and of the community our staff, students and parents are a part of. We were also delighted to help give a real insight into how students learn in a British classroom and to inspire some new ideas for our guest to take home to Pakistan.”
In addition to visiting lessons, Mrs Ather met staff and students and enjoyed lunch with the Student Council. She also spoke at an assembly to students during her visit and accompanied academy staff to watch the Greater Manchester School Games.
Mrs Mackenzie added:
“This was a fantastic opportunity for Mrs Ather to support our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development programme and for our students to learn about life in a foreign school.”
Mrs Ather said of her visit:
‘It’s been a very good experience. Mrs Mackenzie, her team and students have welcomed me with open arms. The visit has been most worthwhile and I have new ideas to take back home to my school, such as introducing cookery to the curriculum. It’s very positive to see students engaged and active in lessons and to see how well they work with their teachers.”
