My head has nearly stopped spinning after a very busy week. Monday and Tuesday, I went to visit the Sir James Henderson British School in Milan.
I was very brave the first morning, and rather than hop in a taxi, I braved the metro and walked the last part. You don’t get as much local flavour in a taxi.

I had a wonderful, warm welcome at the school from Delia O’Leary and Sally Ellis, who I’d been organising the trip with. Mostly they were relieved that was actually there. I’d had to rebook flights twice as EasyJet cancelled from Bristol and BA went on strike and Heathrow. Eventually I went RyanAir from West Midlands.

The school goes from Nursery up to eighteen. I was expecting a large number of expat british children, but they were very much in the minority. There were a lot of italian children and a great mix of other nationalities. English is very much an international language these days, the parent see fluency in English and rubbing up against English culture a positive step, while maintaining the family culture at home. I think I would have enjoyed that as a child.

My session with the nursery was very memorable. As the children are not so conversant in English at that stage, we had an exchange of words. I taught Eric that a Crab is a crab and he taught me that it’s called Granchio in Italian! We almost got round to singing a Nip! NIp! song. I think I’ll have to work on that. Nip! Nip! is ridiculously deceptively simple story about looking for the smallest crab. It is SATPINMD basic phonics and nothing is over three letters long. I have no hesitation showing to year six or over – they seem to be seduced by it and all end up smiling. Such a little story, but one I’m quite proud of.

I worked my way through the lower school over two days, reading drawing and having fun. Year 4, I think it was, even got me to sing! The school has a lovely, friendly atmosphere. It’s British, but it’s not – it’s different. The children have an evident hunger to learn and the year sixes are not so jaded as they are at home, especially at this time of year, when they are ready to move on. I feel they haven’t the same pressure to be grown up.

At break time the whole place comes alive with hundreds of children, of all ages, pouring up and down the central staircase. I have a wonderful image of the Nursery children clinging to the handrail, on their way down to my session. Bigger children tumbled all around them, but they doggedly continued, like a roped-together mountaineering team, until, some slightly older children, unasked, took pity and helped them down the long descent of “Big Steps”. A small sign of the caring attitude that was obvious through out the school.

I didn’t take any pictures because I ate far too much Pizza and was busy having a wonderful time! Many thanks to you all.