Impressions of the School visits

Colourful Classrooms and Enthusiastic Teachers:
Impressions from our visits to Welsh schools

Ysgol Tryfan, bilingual (Welsh-teaching) secondary school in Bangor, visited Monday,14 June
The headteacher, Mr Gareth Jones, gave us an informative introduction and then guided us through his impressive school.

  • All pupils speak Welsh at school (and seem to like it).
    -40% are from a Welsh, 60% from an English background
  • School books in Welsh (for pupils) and English (for parents)
  • All the subjects are taught in Welsh, English being only one of the subjects (3 hours a week)
  • Schools which use Welsh as education medium achieve better results in the many standardized tests!
  • Bilingual and attractive promotion material (website, CD-ROM, brochures)
  • For the headmaster it is unusual to speak English, although his English was flawless ("It is unbelievable that Mr. Jones is a non-native speaker of English; his accent is wonderful - I loved his "r"!)
  • Personal atmosphere because of the small size of the school (420 pupils, 30 teachers)
  • The teachers and pupils were very open and friendly
  • It seemed that the headmaster knew all the pupils, and obviously had a warm relationship to the assistant head and the other teachers
  • Headmaster has to manage financial aspects; the school is run like a "business," with a regular "General Inspection"; one of our students: "I like the idea of the headteacher as a businessman: he has so much to decide and his influence is much bigger than in Germany"
  • "General Inspection" by the state, evaluation, assessments and the "mentor programme" provide and require constant improvement of everybody involved
  • Every teacher has his / her own room. This makes it easier for them to create a special atmosphere for every subject:
    • art rooms with works, pictures…
    • language class rooms with posters, maps etc.
  • The fact that teachers have their rooms while the pupils change creates a special sense of belonging
  • Another positive aspect of the subject rooms is that other pupils cannot destroy or damage the work of the others (not as in our school, where this is often the case)
  • The inspection encourages the teachers to have pupils create products which they can put up and show around
  • The school is very well equipped, with many PCs and interactive electronic "white boards"
  • Cheerful red (girls) and green (boys) jumpers for the school uniform!
  • On the whole limited possibilities to learn other languages than Welsh and English (German, French), although the foreign language teachers are enthusiastic

Saint David's Catholic College, secondary school for ages 16-19 in Cardiff, visited Friday, 18 June
Mr Michael Howells, careers coordinator, introduced us to his school, the only "Sixth-form college" in all of Wales, and took us on a guided tour; we were joined by Mr Terry Kane, assistant senior manager..

  • Enthusiastic Mr Howells! And who has ever heard of a "career officer" in German schools?! The school has received a National Award for careers work!
  • Equipment of the schools was amazing, including study support area, IT workshop, computer work stations, quiet room, a new sports centre
  • Interesting that the Catholic College also accepts pupils who are not Christians and that these pupils had to take part in religious education
  • The 600 new students every August are interviewed personally; the selection is based on academic record and extracurricular activities such as sports and theatre
  • Individual help for everybody, for both the outstanding students and the ones needing more assistance
  • We were surprised and a little bit sad that German is such a minor subject
  • Nonetheless the school seemed so perfect that we asked Mr. Kane where the "wrinkles" were! Answer: a wider range of courses could be offered, including more vocational classes, and the special learning needs could be supported even more - although Saint Davis's received a grade "1" in the last General Inspection for "support of learners"!

Llanedeyrn Primary School, Wellwood/Cardiff, visited Fruday, 18 June
The headteacher John Wilson guided us through the nursery and primary schools, and answered all of our questions thoroughly.

  • Primary school:
    • colourful classrooms with flexible classroom arrangement - and open doors!
    • friendly staff, willing to experiment with different teaching forms (some influenced by Montessori methods)
    • headteacher seemed to know most of the pupils by name
    • special classes for children with special needs
    • female teacher ringing a hand bell after the break
    • open school vs. high security measures for school entry
    • equipment: computers(!), drums, electronic "white boards"
    • excellent cooperation with parents
    • easier for children to feel at home and find their way at the primary school because of the integration of the nursery school
    • after break: pupils queuing immediately and so quietly (seems to be quite "old-fashioned"; not done in most German schools)
    • no sweets but fruit in the breaks
    • the headmaster is English, but encourages Welsh in Wales!

For many more details, see Ina Meuler's report!

We certainly thank all the of headteachers and members of staff mentioned above for their support in making these school visits pleasant and rewarding. Diolch! [thanks in Welsh]