I had a great time last week in Germany, visiting services schools in and around Monchengladbach.

This was a treat as I had lived at the Rhinedahlen base as a boy and so it was fascinating to return to the haunts of my youth.

Amazingly, little had changed and yet so much was different. The base and the houses all felt the same as if time had stood still, but when I was there it was the headquarters of the British Army Over the Rhine and my Dad was constantly preparing to go to war with the Russians. We were on the front line in the cold war. Today it is the Joint Headquarters of the Rapid Reaction Force and is home to many other national military contributions. What used to be mainly British army schools now welcome Americans, Bahamians, Fijians and many others.

The schools are all run along the British National Curriculum and have just been Oftseded!

Andrew Humphrey’s school in Wildenrath was very interesting. They are spearheading the new curriculum. Indeed they are are setting their own curriculum and have had the big thumbs up from Ofsted. The base is drawing down. The school is spread across two previous schools and so has a huge amount of space. They are very keen on talking and listening. My first session of the week was with their reception class and I was struck by their listening skills. This went on into the rest of the school and got me thinking about some schools I’ve been to where the Reading Strategy has not allowed any time for listening to stories and hence when I arrive, the children don’t know how to listen, not because they are naughty or badly behaved, but because they don’t have the experience. I think the new “Talking Cure” is a great step forward!

Being an Army Brat myself, I felt very at home in all the schools, even though we had to go through checkpoints and show ID to get to the schools. (We? My lovely wife came along for the trip and drove me to my destinations.) I realise I haven’t any Photos. I didn’t want to take any pictures on the base in case I got picked up by the Military Police!

Service children move all the time and so do their friends. This means there is a great turnover of children in schools. Service children get used to making friends very quickly and rubbing along with the situations they find themselves in. One teacher told me that at the end of last year she had only one child that had started at the beginning! Sometimes, a regiment can move out and be replaced by another. This means that all the children change over night. Not only that, so does the school’s cultural ethos. One day the children army all be Midlanders, the next all Scottish!

Bruggen school was home to children whose parents were in the Royal Signals, which was my Grandfather, Father and Brother’s regiment, so I felt even more at home there. Wall displays reminded me that half the children’s Dads were out in Afghanistan and those that weren’t soon would when they relieved them. It’s a very different life for service children.

I was amazed at how much German came back to me. Leaving motorways on the slip roads was still a joy. The big, blue Ausfahrt signs still point the way. That word used to send me into paroxysms of laughter – it still manages to raise a smile!

Thanks to all in Wildenrath, Brugen and Rhinedahlen for a great week.