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 This article originally appeared in The Oxford Mail
Private and state schools team up
By Amanda Williams
 Pupils from an Oxford private school and a city estate comprehensive came together to 'do lunch'.
Children from Pegasus Primary School, in Blackbird Leys, and the Dragon School, in Bardwell Road, North Oxford, have been taking part in projects together for more than a year.
The schools said the group of 15 had become firm friends thanks to the various activities they have teamed up to share.
Their time has been spent on story-telling sessions, and a two-night trip away to an outward bound centre.
On Wednesday, the group, whose members are aged from nine to 10, took a cookery class together and made a lunch of vegetable stir-fry followed by a dessert of fresh fruit and homemade cakes and biscuits.
Earlier this week the Dragon School announced it would be giving lessons in philanthropy to encourage students at the school, whose former pupils include tennis star Tim Henman and Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, to think of others less fortunate.
Danny Gill, director of social impact at the £4,790-a-term Dragon School, said: "We've undertaken various activities in the past where we try to sow the seed of social responsibility into the minds of our young students.
"We have in the past encouraged our students to think of things in terms of their school fees. How would they spend the money if it was theirs? What good could they do with it? Many of our children come from privileged backgrounds and we think it's important for them to realise that there are other children living, in some cases, very different lives in other parts of the city. Maybe, in the next year or so, there may be a good deal more of differences that the two groups of children will begin to become aware of, but at the moment, all they care about is that they are good friends."
Pegasus headteacher Jill Hudson said: "This project combines with our links to schools in Africa, Italy and Spain to give our children experiences beyond those they normally have.
"They are able to forge friendships across cultural, national and social boundaries. And that is the only way our world in the future will be one where people from very different experiences can live together in harmony."
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