“It is great opportunity for us to meet, interact and to get to know of the education systems in both the countries,” said Ashton. In September last year, four teachers from Mumbai had been to the UK for a similar purpose.

Manjula Rao, head of programmes at British Council said: “We have formed clusters of schools for the exchange programmes under UKIERI. There are a number of such programmes planned in each segment˜— schools, vocational colleges, joint collaborative programmes for teaching and research.” On Tuesday, the teachers visited Guru Har Kishan High School, Santacruz.Brown said: “I am not used to 60-70 students in one class. The class size here is a bit overwhelming. Back in the UK, the teacher to student ratio is 1:30.”

The teachers are studying teaching methods used in Indian schools. “After talking to them, I realise that the education system in the UK uses a lot of creative methods to teach various subjects in the curriculum. There is emphasis on project work and practical assignments in order to make students understand the concepts,” said Rekha Vijaykar, principal of the school.

Several projects are planned for students in Mumbai and Pune as part of the programme, including topics like sound, festivals in India, Indian monarchs and modes of transport and communication.Robinson, a dramatics teacher, organised a workshop on drama. She said school curriculum in India is holistic and that students are enthusiastic and open to change.