Our half term trip to India involved 40 students from Years 10 and 11 and began with visits to Gandhi’s memorial in New Delhi, the Taj Mahal, and Agra Fort.

After visiting the temples of Old Delhi and exploring the narrow streets of Chandni Chowk, we travelled to Kalka, to Chewa Village and school, to spend time with the local community.

The next part of the adventure would involve hiking around the Himalayas. Our base was the Pine Hills Eco Camp from where one of the highlights of the trip would be visiting the Jain Trust School in Old Delhi and the charity school in Pine Hills; a unique opportunity to get a very different perspective on education and the lives of local children.

We learnt about the history of UNESCO world heritage site Shimla railway and received a tour of the Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. There was even a chance to learn traditional cooking methods which included milking cows at a local, lower Himalayan farm.