King's has started an exciting partnership with the Dornakal Diocesan schools in the Cathedral Compound at Dornakal, Andhra Pradesh, India. There are various different schools on the site - two primary schools and two secondary schools - where pupils are taught either through the medium of English or through Telegu, a school for the deaf, a hostel and school for young people with polio and a Degree college - like a 6th form college. We are partnered especially with the Dornakal Diocesan English Medium School. The partnership between the schools forms part of a wider Diocesan partnership between the Diocese of Gloucester and the Diocese of Dornakal.
Last December Miss Helen Colson, Head of History, went to visit Dornakal and since then the partnership has taken on momentum.
The 2nd Year in the Senior School and Class III in the Junior School were chosen to begin the joint curriculum work and the introduction to King's. Class III looked at climate and sent wonderful snow pictures and poems to Dornakal. The 2nd year worked in Geography to produce letters of introduction to themselves and the local area. They also worked on ‘The Big Pit' project - looking at the History of Coal mining as a link with Dornakal which is a coal producing area. The work has been given to Dornakal school. We are waiting for the work from Dornakal.
King's was also given a reciprocal grant through DFID which enables two teachers to visit King's from Dornakal and two from King's to visit Dornakal. The visit from India is due to take place in September and we are looking forward to hosting them. They are going to bring a student with them, Prasanna Jalli, who is 16. This will be very exciting. The Principal is Joshua Jayakumar. Bishop Devamani is the driving force behind the partnership in Dornakal.
Joshua Carter is going to spend part of his gap year helping at the hostel and school for the deaf in Dornakal. He will be there from mid October until mid December.
Kiran Devamani will be coming to work here as a gap student from September. We hope to develop exchanges and visits as part of our partnership.
We also are looking to fund raise for the partnership. The schools in Dornakal lack basic facilities - including toilets, safe electricity - as well as equipment, books, art materials, science apparatus, tools and adequate classroom provision. Communication is difficult - no landline at the school - only in the Bishop's House - no computers in the school so email access is very limited. The school is set in a remote rural area so most pupils have to stay the week in very basic hostel accommodation.
We would also like to raise money to enable students to visit. We have already raised enough money to pay for Prasanna to come in September.
Ben Marshall in the 2nd year has created a web-link www.kingslinkswithdornakal.co.uk
This shows all the work the 2nd Year have been doing for the partnership along with photos of the visit of Miss Colson to Dornakal.