Pupils learn a little Norwegian culture

Pupils at a Perthshire primary school excelled as they hosted a class of Norwegian children through an exchange.

P7s at Robert Douglas Memorial (RDM) Primary School, in Scone, quickly made friends with the group of youngsters from Nordfold School, in Steigen.

Language barriers were not an issue for the children as they bonded through shared activities and interests (and the Norwegian youngsters’ strong grasp of the English language).

The Perthshire group guided their visitors through a packed itinerary during the week-long visit, taking them to many nearby attractions.

They visited the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh Castle, the Cairngorms and Scone Palace, as well as taking part in outdoor activities and sessions within the school.

Class teacher Fraser Boyd help organised the exchange with Erasmus funding – the last of its kind after Westminster axed the project following Brexit.

Mr Boyd said: “We’re seeing different sides to our kids that we don’t normally see as they discover the differences in their cultures and lifestyles.

“They’re learning to adapt their communication style if the Norwegian children don’t understand them the first time, which is a life skill.

“And the confidence they’re showing – the children who we didn’t expect to be socially comfortable have taken the lead in some activities.”

Despite their differences, Mr Boyd said both sides quickly realised they had many shared interests and hobbies.

And visiting local attractions was as much fun for the Scottish children, some of whom had never visited Edinburgh or other places on the schedule.

The group received a guided tour of the parliament, during which they met Deputy First Minister John Swinney, took part in outdoor activities at Lochore Meadows in Fife and visited Dundee and Falkirk.

Alison Wilson, RDM’S outdoor learning teacher, said: “It’s been an amazing experience for the children, they’ve just loved it.

“There are differences in languages and culture but deep down they are the same the world over.”

Next academic year a group of the Scottish children will visit Norway – taking two planes and a boat to reach the school’s remote location.

Norwegian class teacher, Kjersti Johnsen said: “It has been very interesting to see the children bonding.

“Scotland is great, it reminds me of the south of Norway but there are also great differences, nature and size, Scotland is a big place.”

She added that the Norwegian children were looking forward to having the Scottish children visit them and showing them their school and culture.

Pictures by Mhairi Edwards. WORLD-WISE: Pupils from RDM School in Scone and Nordfold School in Norway.

A pupil from each of the schools played rock paper scissors after learning it in both of their languages.