Tag Archives: Wales

Visiting Castles & Eating Fish and Chips

Wales is a land full of Castles. many were built by the English King Edward I to keep the Welsh under control. Most are now in ruins, but visiting them in the beautiful Welsdh country side is always a great day out. Co to the Cadw website to learn more about Castles in Wales

I went to Castel y Beer, near Talyllyn then up to Criccieth, stopping along the way to have a closer look at the Trawsfynedd Magnox Nuclear power station that used to appear in my nightmares!

Find out all about Fish and chips too – the absolute most British food you can get – yes even more that tea!

Oaklands Primary School – Aberaman

I spent my last day in Rhondda Cynon Taf at Oaklands Primary School today. They are getting ready for an inspection on Monday… good luck all!

Years three and four came up with a brilliant idea for what to take to show and tell day on another planet, following up the theme in Ricky Rocket and a present from Earth. One girl, who turned out to be a bit of a bibliophile and would be author, suggested taking a book. So obvious, I never thought of it before. What a great example of Human technology – all the other aliens would be really impressed – it even works without batteries.

Some of years five and six were intrigued by my graphite stick and stayed behind to have a go themselves. I’m always asked what it is I use to draw with and the children are always surprised that it is a block of pencil. They always love the way it fills large areas when I draw on the side of the block.

I’ll admit it – I’m very tired at the end of the week, but it has been fascinating having such an intense experience in five different schools. Each school is quite different and, as ever each group is entirely different, depending on the dynamic of how it is made up. How any government or education department could ever think that one system could ever fit every school staggers belief.

Wales dropped the year six Sats a few years ago now, and the difference between Welsh and English schools is very evident in the more relaxed atmospheres of staff rooms and the amount of creative work to be seen displayed around the place. The sooner we drop Sats in England and drop the manic Thatcher/Blair curriculum the better.

Thanks for a great day and enjoy the inspection!

Glynhafod Junior

If I thought Cwmaman was at the top of the valley yesterday, I was mistaken. Way up high, much further on is Glynhafod Junior School, where I was today. A couple of hundred yards further on the village stops and the mountains continue – wild and empty.

Year Five and six came up with a new idea for how Viking Vik invented football. Another school I went to suggested that he made a ball from a pig’s bladder, today we had a leather bag full of leaves and sheep’s wool, which was a more satisfying plot. One girl went on to improve the story by bringing in a bit of enmity between Vik and his half brother, Wulf. In her story they invent dodgeball!

With year four, we got into a quite deep conversation about what the children would take from Earth to an alien classroom on show and tell day, as Ricky Rocket has to do in A present from Earth. One boy suggested a gun, which made us question what this would say about Humans!

Year three came up with a great idea for Monster Boy. An giant Electric Eel is living in a pond in the Forest and is electrocuting things. Monster Boy puts it’s power to good use, lighting up a fairy light walk through the Forest that brings in the tourists in their droves – great!

The school is almost 100 years old. In the staffroom is a wonderful push-button control panel, which I guess once rang bells in different classes. One button is marked, Master. Is this to call up a previous, frightening, overpowering headmaster or just a master button that rings all the bells at the same time? I’d like to think it is the former!

Thanks everyone for a great day.