STUDENTS from an Isleworth Primary have forged ties with pupils from a school in China.

Isleworth Town Primary in Twickenham Road and Zao Ping Primary in Shaanxi province were partnered in a school linking project run by children's charity Plan UK – part of what Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls the 'world classroom.'

Economists have praised the scheme for introducing UK youngsters to peers in what analysts believe will be the world's next great superpower.
Isleworth Town Primary community links co-ordinator Trisha Brackley said: "The children are very eager to find out about China.

“We’ve already received some Olympic mascots from last year’s Beijing Games and look forward to telling them about life in London.”

Run by experienced teachers at Plan, the project aims to bring 2,000 schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the UK together over the next two years. The initiative has seen 480 schools in Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, China and the UK become the first on-board.

Plan UK's Policy Adviser and former World Bank economist, Christine Allison said: "In our increasingly global age, it has never been more important for children to have a world view and to understand the changing faces of world powers.

"When the schoolchildren of today graduate and look for jobs, China's dominance in the world economy is likely to be even greater than it is today.

"Building relationships with their peers in China and forging partnerships through school linking mean they get a head start."