Breaking down barriers as well as a fast

Breakfasts featuring foods from Poland and Portugal were served to pupils and parents at the schools as part of International Citizenship Week, co-ordinated and paid for by Littlehampton Community School.

The idea was to promote cultural differences in a positive light, using food as a theme.

The schools which took part were Elm Grove Infant, Wickbourne Infant, St Catherine's, Climping St Mary's and Arundel CE.

Among the foods on offer were Polish sausages called kabanos and Portuguese custard tarts called pasteis de nata.

Tea was also drunk Polish-style, with lemon and sugar but no milk.

Ideas for the breakfasts were suggested by members of the Eastern European Advisory Group and Portuguese community worker Sofia Teixeira.

Volunteers from a range of cultural backgrounds were on hand at the meals to chat and translate.

As well as the food, flags, music and games were available at the schools throughout the day.

Sara Hopkins, community liaison manager at Littlehampton Community School, who organised the breakfasts said: "The idea was to get parents and people in the community involved in school who don't have English as a first language.

"It came as a direct request from the schools that they wanted to do something to involve those families from different cultural backgrounds and it worked really well.

"We gave each school which wanted it 250 to go towards their breakfast and they prepared the most wonderful food.

"We will definitely run it again next year. Littlehampton is such a brilliant town, people were prepared to go with this idea even though it hadn't been done before and the breakfasts were a great success. A big thank you to everyone who supported them."