BLESSED Edward Oldcorne Catholic College has been welcoming students and teachers from around the world.

Teacher Francis Nsanga from the Uganda Martyrs Secondary Namugongo in Kampala, Uganda, visited the Worcester school to talk to students and staff.

Blessed Edward Oldcorne and the Uganda Martyrs school, which is also Catholic, were twinned two years ago when the principal Sean Devlin visited the African state on holiday.

Francis visited the Worcester school at a poignant time.

Mr Devlin said: "Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is commemorating the death of Blessed Edward Oldcorne 400 years ago on the London Road on April 7, 1606.

"There is a small plaque to mark the site. The Uganda Martyrs, which gives his school its name, were executed by King Mwanga of Buganda from 1885-1887 and included Catholic and Anglican Christians."

Uganda, where the average life expectancy is just 46, is recovering from the turbulence of the 1970s and 80s when half a million people were killed under dictators Idi Amin and Milton Obote.

While at the college, Francis, an ICT specialist, visited lessons in all subjects, sharing ideas on teaching and picking up new ideas.

Francis accompanied Year 11 pupils to a youth mass at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, celebrated by the Archbishop Vincent Nichols.

Sue Rees, the head of humanities at Blessed Edward Oldcorne, will travel to Uganda in July. She said: "This is a very exciting visit as it is the first of many opportunities for our schools to work together."

Meanwhile, students from the more traditional school exchange country of Germany visited Blessed Edward Oldcorne last week too.