STAFF from Crownbridge Special School in Croesyceiliog were delighted with the outcome of an international project aimed at sharing teaching methods across Europe.

The Erasmus+ project saw staff visit Szkola Podstawowa Chocismska in Poland, Targoviste Special School in Romania, and Ceepr, Aspanaes - Ferrol in Spain for a week to take in different methods of teaching.

Staff from the partner schools visited Wales in February, before visiting Poland at the start of April, Romania in mid-May and Spain at the start of June.

Bethan Moore, deputy head teacher at Crownbridge Special School, said: “We would be looking in take part in the project again.

“We have been able to take things from the visits to adapt and improve our provision. In Spain, for example, they looked at interactive learning.

“They were practising their life skills, such as going to the doctors.

“They practised in school and a had a ‘surgery’ set up for the children, so that they wouldn’t be as stressed by the idea of visiting the doctors in real life.

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(Crownbridge Special School staff visiting Targoviste Special School in Romania. Picture: Crownbridge Special School.)

“And in Poland, they taught a lot of subjects using the arts. We liked that idea, and we are hoping to give our pupils the opportunity to learn a range of subjects through the expressive arts.

“The biggest benefit was working with schools on an international stage with our staff having the opportunity to be able to research international curriculums and bringing that back to help develop the curriculum in Wales.

“The staff were able to experience different cultures and different teaching methods. For example, the other schools did not use IT as heavily as in Wales.

“Each staff member would look at a specific area. They would come back after the trip and write a report on it and present this to our governors.

“As the lead of the project, I have been in constant communication with the other schools.

“I got a call from the head teacher at Szkola Podstawowa Chocismska in Poland asking how we went about introducing ‘pupil voice’, as they wanted to establish their first school council.”

All of the schools will now report back how they benefitted from the project to the British council.