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Two more teachers from Balsiu School in Vilnius visited Newcastle in March 2015 to study how schools in the UK deliver the curriculum. The focus of this visit was to study how schools teach English as an additional language (EAL) and also to look at the provision for  children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The visit was organised by Mike Carter the managing director of Tyn Can  Learning an educational company based in the North East. Laime Maceviciute an English teacher and Egle Saikauskiene a special needs teacher had never visited the North East of England before and so they were interested in learning more about the culture and heritage surrounding the North East. The visit coincided with the St Patrick day celebrations on the 17th March and both ladies joined in the festivities by dressing in green on the day.

Their first school visit was arrange at Balliol Primary School in North Tyneside. The head teacher Fiona Downes spent the morning showing the teachers around the school and explaining how the school ensured that the pupils were given the best opportunities for reading and also how they concentrated on a mathematics program which saw the children improve significantly through their time at the school. The Lithuanian teachers were impressed at the level the children were working. The children shared what they were doing with the visitors and were very comfortable explaining how they managed to find solutions to mathematics problem. The visitors were shown cooking facilities in the school where children could develop skills in baking in which they could apply the mathematical skills and social skills they learned in the classroom. 

Later that day Laime and Egle had a meeting with Carol Allen the School Improvement Officer for ICT and SEND at North Tyneside Council. The ladies had an enjoyable lunch talking to Carol about the work that she does around inclusion. The talk was so fascinating that Carol agreed to meet in the evening to share resources and give helpful tips on ways to engage children with special needs and helped to provide Laime and Egle with online resources which could be used in school.

Veena Soni head of Gateshead Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Advisory Services played host to our visitors. They were given a tour of the facility and a description of how the service worked with schools to provide bilingual support, classroom resources and help to integrate children into the school system.  They visited Caedmon Primary School  to see how the service supported both teachers and children coming to the UK to learn.

The teachers then visited the Metro Centre in Gateshead a very large shopping facility which provides social and retail experiences to a wide community on Tyneside and beyond.

Veena also arrange a visit to Hill Top School Specialist Arts College in Gateshead. The school is a well resourced school with a vibrant ethos. The visitors were very impressed with the way the students showed them around and were very knowledgeable about their work. The presents our Lithuanian guests left were very well received as mentioned in the school newsletter.

Our visitors visited Gosforth Central Middle School the head teacher Mrs. Webb spent time showing the visitors around the school and the pupils were very impressive showing off their skills especially in their science lessons. The visitors met with the schools international coordinator during a French lesson. The children were beginning to learn a little about Lithuania and they had devised a questionnaire for the teachers to answer. The class are busy writing letters to pupils at Balsiu School and they hope to develop more understanding of life in Lithuania in the future.

The teachers visited Percy Hedley School in Killingworth and spoke with Associate Director Dr.Sue Fisherhttp://www.percyhedley.org.uk/ the visitors were given a tour of the school and the very special facilities available to help support young people in the learning. They were very impressed by the technology being used especially the way that the students were really working hard to become proficient in the use of “eye gaze”. Software which allows users to work a computer by looking at the screen a very difficult skill to learn but the students who showed their skills had really worked hard to gain their expertise.

On the last day of their visit to Tyneside Laime and Egle visited two schools in the West of the city. Firstly they visited Sacred Heart Catholic School where Deputy Headteacher Mrs Howells showed the visitors around the school. They visited the library and were shown how reading plays an important part in the life of the school. They saw many examples of girls who were “million word” stars as they had read so much. The morning was slightly disrupted by a lunar eclipse of the sun. The visitors went outdoors with the rest of the school and experienced the wonder of science in action. They also sat in on an English lesson where the students were being critical of well known fables and putting their meaning into modern day context.

Secondly the teachers visited Excelsior Academy and were given a guided tour by Ms Kelly who is responsible for SEN in the school. The teachers were then allowed to participate in lessons in the school. The teachers valued the time spent in the school and the opportunity to talk to students and staff about teaching and learning styles and the use of resources.

The teachers also had time to experience the wonders of the North East. Their trip to Holy Island was spectacular coinciding with the low tide they were ale to cross the causeway and visit the island. The teachers managed to enjoy fish and chips as the local food delicacy and were able to find out about “Geordie” culture. They travelled along Scotwood road and were told about the famous Blaydon Races they even joined in with the chorus of that famous song.

The visiting teachers had a very busy schedule and at the end of the week travelled to Doncaster for an very early flight back to Lithuania. Did they enjoy their visit to Tyneside?  In their words,

“Visiting schools, meeting students and colleagues, talking, discussing, sharing and experiencing a different culture and school system enriched us a lot.

We came back to our school feeling inspired with fresh ideas and a new perspective which encouraged us to continue our everyday work with love and care.
The UK has a lot to share. We are looking forward to being involved in new projects and continuing collaboration with the schools we visited to share the ideas and experiences of Lithuania.” 

Laime and Egle

We also hope that projects we are planning at Tyn Can learning in the future will help to share expertise and good practice between our two regions.

Mes esame Lietuvai!