IT might sound like a roll call for the United Nations but one Burnley school is showing off its truly international pedigree with pupils from a staggering 18 countries on its roll.

Children from Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Ukraine are all represented among Walshaw High School's 810 female pupils making it East Lancashire's most multi-cultural school.

And although it could be a recipe for division, staff at the school said that having children from so many backgrounds is a huge advantage.

Headteacher Debbie Hill, pictured with the pupils, is aiming to celebrate the cultural differences and last week launched a new school prospectus that stresses the harmony created at the Burnley school, which also has a large intake of pupils from the Nelson area.

She said: "We are international and proud. There are other schools with as many different nationalities, but they tend to be in the big cities like London and Manchester.

"We have to stand up and say what we believe in. We do not see the different backgrounds here as a problem. We see them as a fantastic benefit."

And pupils at the school are getting an educational as well as a cultural benefit from the multi-ethnic mix with lessons geared to take advantage of the school's international flavour.

Teachers use the differing heritages as a learning opportunity. So, for example, textile design pupils are given a business brief of designing clothes and home furnishings to sell - figuratively speaking - in Asia, Africa and Britain.

Mrs Hill, a deputy headteacher in Leicester before coming to Walshaw at Easter, added: "The new prospectus reflects the new reality.

"We have a strong school ethos of demanding high standards from every girl."