Janet Museveni - wife of the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni - addressed assembly at St Philip’s C of E primary, then visited classrooms at the 350-pupil school to talk to the children about their work on Uganda.

The pupils’ interest in the country grew out of the national curriculum requirement that a developing country should be studied for key stage 2 geography.

Chairman of governors Alan Bain found a Ugandan junior school in need of help and the pupils began exchanging letters.

In l993 the deputy head went to Uganda to set up a formal link with Mityana juniors. Later a Mityana teacher visited St Philip’s for six weeks, and brought her country alive for the children who had previously relied on textbooks and TV.

Now all seven to 11-year-olds at St Philip’s study Uganda for one term every two years.

Deputy head Chris Harker says: “The project took a lot of time and there were many barriers along the way but the children’s understanding of what life is like in a developing country is so much better.”

development education extra, tes2 centre pages.