Students from Breeze Hill recently won the very prestigious "Pride in Oldham" award sponsored by the Chronicle. A trophy and framed photograph of the team of "new arrival mentors" was presented to the school at a special ceremony.

Under the guidance of teacher Sally Hyman, a group of volunteer students at Breeze Hill have been helping children who are recent arrivals to the school or to the United Kingdom to settle in and find their feet.

Breeze Hill has seen a big rise in the number of different nationalities represented in the student body. Young people who arrive from an entirely different culture often speaking little or no English, can naturally feel lost. The mentors are trained to both welcome new students, but also to help them sort out some of the practical issues that face them in coming terms with a new environment.

The judges involved in the "Pride in Oldham" award were particularly impressed by our young people's commitment to creating a friendly, open atmosphere for those arriving at Breeze Hill from overseas. They saw this as an example of good citizenship and a model of the kind of attitude that Oldham needs in its efforts to bring communities together.