THE old saying that children should be seen and not heard seems to be alive and well. At least that is the case in England. But quite the opposite in Spain.

It's the kind of cultural difference you only discover when you visit. With budget flights to Madrid now hardly any more expensive than your average train journey from Worcester to London, children at an increasingly young age are getting the opportunity to taste foreign living.

Last week, a whole class of nine and 10-year-olds at St George's CE Primary School in Barbourne, Worcester, got just that opportunity. Funded to the tune of almost £6,000 by the British Council, 26 children and eight staff flew with easyJet and stayed in Toledo, near Madrid, for three nights.

And, making the journey in the opposite direction, two trainee teachers from Spain, Maria Llorente and Patricia de la Cuesta, are spending a month at St George's to find out how things tick over here.

"Obviously these two sets of children have different lifestyles and different cultures but you wouldn't think the schools would be as different as they are," says Maria, aged 28, from the University of Palencia.

"It's great they get the chance at such a young age to get to know other cultures because it breaks down barriers and each nationality gets to know each other."

She says the national identities are stark, even at that age.

"Children tend to be more social in Spain," she says.

"They are always talking whether it's to each other or to the teachers.

"Here they are silent in class or in assemblies. In Spain they are always running around, shouting, asking what the other person is doing, always socialising. Here they don't ask and they don't complain.

"The reason most British people go to Spain is to see the beaches and that's a pity. But thanks to the trip these children have made, this is a great starting point."

The headteacher of St George's says the experience is one the children will remember.

"Our few days in Spain were a world away from the usual school trip to somewhere like Ludlow Castle," Stephen Mills says.

"For many of these nine and 10-year-olds it was the first time away from home and is very important for their social skills."

St George's has been linked with Gregorio Maranon school, in Toledo, for 18 months now. The Worcester children were the proud guests of the Toledo mayor at a civic reception in the town hall.

The children performed Oliver! in front of their Spanish counterparts, who in turn gave a rendition of traditional Catalan songs.

For its part, the British Council funds such educational ventures because it says we still have a lot to learn from other cultures.

"Through the ties we create between people in the UK and other countries, we help to break down the barriers to understanding," the council says.

It is hoped that, having tasted real Spanish culture at such a young age, children like those at St George's will do more than seek out the beach when they return as adults.