Staff from Holy Family Catholic School, in Keighley, witnessed some of the damage caused by the recent eruption of an Indonesian volcano.

Maths teacher Jane Whittaker and learning mentor John Packer spent two weeks on the island of Java.

They were visiting the Darunnajah Islamic Boarding School, in Jakarta, which has been linked to Holy Family since 2006. While on a trip outside the capital they saw some of the effects of the latest eruption of Mount Merapi.

It erupted on October 25, killing at least 34 people and blanketing swathes of Java in a layer of ash.

The Keighley pair were accommodated within the boarding school during their stay and spent time with local pupils, teaching them about English language and life at Holy Family.

Mr Packer conducted some football coaching sessions.

Their trip was part of an annual exchange programme. Two Indonesian staff members will come to Keighley in June next year.

l A group of 10 Holy Family year 11 students visited Japan’s former capital city. Head of modern languages Dieter Verfuerth and specialist school manager Eileen Llewellyn supervised the 12-day trip to Kyoto. All the pupils will be taking GCSE Japanese next summer.

Ms Llewellyn said the students joined in lessons at Holy Family’s Japanese partner school, which is called Kyoto Gakuen.

“They were very well looked after by their host families,” she added. “They also went to see Nara Deer Park, Kiyomizu Temple and Kyoto’s futuristic railway station, and attended a Zen Buddhist meditation session.”

l Two of Holy Family’s year 13 students will go to Cuba for three weeks over the Christmas holidays.

Iain Evans and Thomas Stokes will head for the Caribbean with a larger group of young people travelling as part of a council youth services project.

They will live and work on a farm to learn about local agriculture and the Cuban economy.

Ms Llewellyn said the students needed to raise about £1,000 each. Anyone interested in supporting them should contact her at eileen.llewellyn@holyfamily.ngfl.ac.uk.