On Friday 20 September we were delighted to host a group of Norwegian teachers from Stavanger in Southern Norway. After being welcomed by our Head Boy and Head Girl, our visitors were given a tour of the school by some of our Year 11 students. They visited lessons with every year group and were very impressed by our welcoming school community. This visit is the latest step in an exciting multi-national project about developing the curriculum which is seeing English Martyrs work with other schools across Europe.
We have also received a group of teachers from Bali, Indonesia, who visited us on Monday 23rd September. These teachers were school leaders from five different boarding schools in Bali, all having an Islamic ethos, and they are visiting England to gain an understanding of the British system and of Catholic Education.
After a meeting and lecture from Mr Carney about Catholic education and our approach to curriculum and school improvement, the Senior Student Leadership Team and the School Council welcomed our visitors and took them on tours of the school, as well as joining in discussions about the way our school operates. Our guests really loved our school planners and took copies away to create something similar for their students. Students were astonished to learn that Indonesia has a population of 241 million (UK: 66 million) and that it is the largest Muslim population of any country in the world.
At the start of their tour Thomas Good, Year 11, gave a recital on the organ in the auditorium which was much applauded. The visitors were also intrigued to find that we have an Indonesian Gamelan in our school, and even more astonished to watch a video of some of our students playing it under Mr Simeone’s direction. They commented on how difficult it is to play the gamelan and how few students in Indonesia get the opportunity.
Thanks go to all the students who worked hard to entertain our guests and make them feel so welcome.