In this article, Dianne Excell shares her experience of a cross-phase, collaborative project funded by the British Council that brought together teachers and pupils from three schools in Bradford and five schools in Peshawar, Pakistan. Although history was just one element of the project (which also included English, art, food technology and IT), the collaboration prompted a strong focus on historical research and the use of oral history techniques within the English curriculum. The local and global dimensions of the project and the new insights gained by both teachers and pupils also prompt serious consideration of the kind of curriculum breadth that young people need to make sense of their identity and place in the world. A list of notes and references is provided.