Cavendish schoolboy's virtual globe-trotting experience offers window into life under lockdown around the world

A young boy from Cavendish has explored countries from around the globe to visit his school’s counterparts – all while remaining at home.

Teddy Davies, who goes to Cavendish Primary School, embarked on the globetrotting experience with his dad, Rob, after he completed a project which involved comparing the outdoor temperature of Cavendish with an area of the same name in Australia.

Inspired by his six-year-old son’s school homework, Mr Davies was intrigued to discover further areas with a similar connection to their village.

“I wondered how they had been affected by the virus and whether there were other places called Cavendish around the world,” he said.

Following extensive research, the pair discovered primary schools which shared their village’s name in countries including Australia, America, South Africa, Mauritius and Malta, along with areas closer to home across England.

After contacting schools to find out how they had been impacted by the crisis, Teddy was delighted to receive several responses.

“He had some lovely emails from different headteachers who told him about their school, their community and how they had been affected by the virus,” said Mr Davies, who teaches Year 6 pupils at Clare Community Primary School.

At the end of the project, Teddy compiled the findings about the locations they had researched, combined with photographs and letters from the schools.

During the project, the pair used Google Earth – a satellite imagery tool, which enables online users to take a virtual tour of any country in the world – to explore the schools they had discovered.

Reflecting on the virtual experience, Teddy said: “I really liked it when we were able to zoom in because it was a bit like being in a space shuttle.

“When you look through the computer screen, it’s like a window, and I kept thinking that the glass was magical.”

Highlighting the significance of the project in helping to put into context the scale of the pandemic for his son, Mr Davies said: “I think it was an important lesson for Teddy to know that it’s not just affecting his school. To realise that was a really powerful message.”

Mr Davies added: “It has really been a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend so much time with him.”