Relationship between the 2 schools

Now that we are in secondary school our English teacher is Bernard. We call him Bernard because in Spain we always call the teachers by their first name. The headmaster of Saint Mary‘s is Mr Hughes. The students in Saint Mary’s don’t call Mr Hughes by his first name. Maybe they don’t even know his first name. Just like some students in Spain don’t know Bernard’s surname. Bernard and Mr Hughes went to school together in Liverpool when they were the same age as we are now, which is a very long time ago. After school, they both studied Spanish and finally became teachers in different countries. That is how Maristas and Saint Mary of the Angels started working together.

 

When we were in Primary school at Maristas, our English teacher was Elena. She went to England with all of us. Some of us went with Elena and Mikel in October 2018 and some with Elena and Javier in 2019. Lots of other teachers from Marisats have also been to St Mary's school and they all think it's great. Some went with Maristas students who are now 15, 16 17 and 18 years old. Some teachers went to St Mary's to see the English teachers working and to learn more English. Although the schools are very different, they have many things in common. St Mary's is a very small school. It has got 7 classes and about 200 students. Maristas is very, very big and has almost 2000 students. Both schools are Catholic schools and share the same values and the same name because the full name of Maristas is Colegio Santa María La Real, which is the school of St Mary.

Mr Hughes wrote a partnership agreement for our 2 school in 2013 when we first started working together. It was on the websites of our schools in English and Spanish. Mr Hughes showed us this document. We don't understand everything because it's very complicated, but some things are easy and very nice. In Primary school with our tutors, and in Religion class, and now in Secondary school, we speak about the mission, vision and values of our school. In the document, Mr Hughes wrote: As two Catholic schools, with the ethos to care for those who are vulnerable, in the image of Jesus Christ, we have many shared values. We desire that all our children are cared for, with respect. We will provide a safe and supportive environment for every child and member of staff, who take part in our exchanges. We will challenge each other and learn from each other, as educational partners, to improve teaching in each school; and to enhance learning outcomes for all of our pupils. We commit to share any grant funds and to spend them appropriately, as agreed on the criteria of the grants. We will communicate with sympathy and respect for each other, and attempt to learn some of each other’s language.

This year in Maristas we are a Kiva School. This means that our school is committed to fight bullying and to promote the well-being of our students. In the document, Mr Hughes wrote:Each school has an equal role in our strategic partnership. Respect and learning together are at the heart of what we do. If anyone involved in partnership activities should feel that they have not been treated equally or with respect, then they should contact the headteacher in each school, who will address the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. Similarly, pupils with additional needs or difficulties because of personal circumstances will be treated with equal opportunity, sympathy and care, whilst taking part in partnership activities. If necessary, medical needs will be addressed and catered for in full.