TODAY we went to a Gambian style assembly at Half Dye School, and it is very different to an English one.

It is so much more fun, chaotic and very noisy!

At the beginning, they sang the national anthem. It's amazing to see that even in such a poor area people love life and make the most of what they have.

The children are always smiling and seem very proud of their country and their school. Ridgewood gave some prizes to students who had made the most progress.

Three students from every grade (year) got prizes and they were extremely grateful. It made me think about how important education is for everyone.

At the end, everyone got up to dance together and I danced with a little girl who was about 6. It was great to look around and see so many different people dancing together.

Later in the day, we went back to the school and there were no children there, so it was much, much quieter!

We painted one of the classrooms with some things to help students learn about food, people who help us, safety and English grammar.

In The Gambia everyone is amazingly friendly and very happy, even though lots of them don't have much.

So far I have had an incredible experience and it's made me realise how much we have and how much we take for granted.

Luke Harrison