A BASINGSTOKE primary school, which has been working with schools across Europe on a special project, welcomed some VIP guests to a celebratory day.

Fairfields Primary School has partnered with schools in Portugal, France, Germany, Turkey, Sweden and Poland for the Comenius Project – a two-year partnership which will run from 2013 to 2015.

The project, funded by the British Council, aims to help develop pupils’ awareness of their cultural heritage within Europe.

Pupils at the school, in Council Road, have been studying the partner countries and as part of the project each year group created a story about an animal native to each country.

The school was visited by representatives from the European schools and they, along with invited guests including Basingstoke MP Maria Miller, Basingstoke and Deane Mayor Councillor Roger Gardiner, and Mayoress Tricia Gardiner, learned more about the children’s work.

The guests were also treated to performances of three dances from around the world – the Sailor’s Hornpipe, the Mexican Hat Dance and Greek dancing.

Teacher Janine Jenkins said: “The project is a great way for pupils to develop creative skills and their ICT skills, and they have been enjoying learning more about different cultures. It is nice to be able to welcome teachers from our partner schools to Fairfields.”

Over the last year, teachers from the Basingstoke school have visited schools in Sweden and Turkey to learn more about how schools are run in other European countries.