DIVERSITY, cultural values and beliefs helped to shape a full week of learning to give children an insight into life in other parts of the world.

From creating traditional Maori Masks — worn by the native people of New Zealand — to sampling exotic fruits originating from parts of Africa, pupils at Gorsefield Primary School in Radcliffe were given a taste of countries and continents.

The school has established an annual tradition of celebrating its own International Day on June 21, giving pupils the chance to learn about different cultures and celebrate differences.

Each year group chose a country, which they studied throughout the week, culminating with a colourful parade during the full school assembly on Friday.

Andrea Martin, assistant principal, said: “International Day has become an annual event enabling our children to celebrate and respect the culturally diverse world we live in by comparing our differences and similarities.

"I have been incredibly proud of the hard work our children, families and staff have put into making it such a successful week.

"The results were incredible with the whole school embracing and sharing the culture and countries they had chosen."

Nursery age children were given a taste of China by trying noodles and learning Chinese numerals, while Year 1s learned about Pakistan and Year 2s explored New Zealand.

Meanwhile pupils in Year 3 used layering and overlapping techniques to create their own Saharan sunset collage as part of their African studies.

Other pupils explored the traditions and cultures found in Columbia and Italy.

Children created banners at the beginning of the week which were then used during the full school parade on Friday, which also featured music, songs, colour and a celebration of the countries the school had studied.

Farzana Yamin, Religious Education Subject Lead, said: "This has been our third annual International Day at Gorsefield. Each year group immersed themselves in other cultures by wearing traditional clothes, reading texts and sampling foods.

"As well as having fun, our aim is for children to become increasingly tolerant of others which is an important life skill in our multi-cultural society."