BACK TO SCHOOL

BACK TO SCHOOL

BACK TO SCHOOL

Last Week, the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, announced the next plans for education in Wales. Although schools have remained open for some pupils, most have been educated at home.
Next steps for schools in Wales:

• 29 June - all pupils back to school.
• 27 July - schools close for summer.
• Beginning of September - next academic year starts.
• October half-term - two weeks break.

Back to normal?
Not quite, there will be changes such as:

• a phased return, where year groups will be split into groups
• staggered starts, lessons and breaks, so as to have less pupils together at one time
• small classes

Schools in England have re-opened since 1 June, with only some school years attending. Schools in Scotland will open in August.

Home-schooling?
Parents and carers have been taking on the role of teachers over the past few months. But what makes a good teacher? Many pupils and adults have enjoyed the experience of home schooling, and there is more interest in teaching as a career. What will education be like after the pandemic crisis is over? Clic-it-Cymru would like to hear your views.

EISTEDDFOD T

EISTEDDFOD T

EISTEDDFOD T

BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Recently anti-racism protests have been taking place all over the world, including here in Wales. Thousands of people have taken part in the protests and on the whole, they have been peaceful. The protests were sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, USA on the 25th May this year. He died after a white police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest.

A protest took place in Bute Park, Cardiff with around 2,000 people listening to a number of speakers discussing the injustice that black people face all around the world. One of the speakers was Andrew Ogun; according to Andrew, himself a black man, the death of George Floyd had “ …struck a match for everybody, not just black people. People are frustrated, people are tired, people want to get their voices heard. We can’t be disingenuous and say police brutality is as bad here as the USA. But regardless, the implicit bias against black people needs to change. Because I’m 10 times more likely to be stopped by police. I’ve been stopped for no valid reason when I’m doing good things, doing artistic things, because of how I looked.”

Andrew and others are now calling for a change in the schools curriculum in Wales to ensure children learn about the role Wales and Britain have in the history of black people and the role black people have played in the history of Wales and Britain.

It was the day before Tariq's birthday. Each time his birthday came around he got very excited, he'd always have a big party, his friends would be invited and they would go to the beach, or park. Sometimes he would have a special meal with his family, and best of all Amira, his sister, would come home from London, where she worked in a hospital. But this year Tariq didn't look forward to his birthday. He didn't want the day to dawn. He stared sadly at his feet, his old trainers were badly worn. He had asked his parents for a new pair, he had been with his Mum to the sports shop in town, he'd tried his favourite pair

on, and Mum had smiled, and said, 'We'll see.' But all that was before the world shut down. Each time he went through the empty streets with his parents, he'd run to peer through the shop window - the trainers would be there on the shelf near the window.
But yesterday, he and his mother had gone for a walk along the promenade before going into town. He had led his Mum as always past the shop, the door was now closed, like most of the town's shops. Tariq had pressed his forehead to the glass so that he could have a glimpse of the trainers. But they weren't there in their usual place. Had they been sold? His heart sank. Tariq dragged his feet all the way home. He didn't care even for the wild goats, they had wandered into the empty town, jumping over walls, leaping their way into gardens and yards. Usually, Tariq would have laughed and chased

them off, but not today. His eyes were downcast, plodding along in his tatty trainers. At bed-time, he pulled the duvet over his head, knowing that the following day would be the worst birthday ever!
He woke early the next day, but didn't get up. Mum came into his room. 'Come on Tariq, it's your birthday, had you forgotten?' she laughed.
'No I hadn't forgotten.' Tariq sighed, and got dressed slowly. 'Pancake for breakfast?' His parents were at the table, waiting. 'Happy birthday Tariq!' Dad beamed as he put the laptop in front of Tariq.
'Someone wants a word with you...' There on screen was Amira, dressed in her scrubs,

ready for work. 'Happy birthday Tariq!' she said, ' I'll be joining your on-screen party tonight, when I finish work, but until then, have a look just there, there's a small parcel under the table for you!'
Dad got hold of the parcel, and put it in front of Tariq. Tariq ripped open the paper -'Wow!' he squealed, Amira laughed, 'Put them on Tariq, quick, see if they fit!'
That afternoon, Dad, Mum and Tariq went for a walk along the promenade. The goats were back in town and the streets were empty. Tariq ran and jumped after them, his new trainers felt as if he had wings on his feet.

Pamela Butchart is the author of funny books such as My Headteacher is a Vampire Rat and Demon Dinner Ladies. Here she talks about her latest book Icarus was Ridiculous, dresses up as a dinner lady and does some strange things with crisps!

Cressida Cowell is the Waterstones Children’s Laureate and author of the famous How to Train your Dragon series, also featuring on TV and in films. Listen to her talk of her latest book The Wizard of Once: Knock three times and inspire you with tips on how to write and illustrate your own stories.

Eloise Williams is Children’s Laureate Wales. (You can read more about her in Issue 11, page 4) Here she talks about her new book Wilde, a spooky story of witches and curses.

Chae Strathie is the author of So you think you’ve got it bad? Ancient Rome. If you prefer non-fiction and are a fan of Horrible Histories then this is the event for you. Listen to the author as he describes the strange life of a Roman child, from washing clothes in wee to snacking on dormice!

Name:
Fin Calderwood

Home:
Pencaenewydd a village near Pwllheli.

Challenge:
I ran seven marathons in seven days to raise funds for NHS Wales.

Why?
Schools are shut, so I wasn't working, and I wanted to help. I decided on a physical challenge to raise money. I enjoy running, but I had never taken part in a marathon run before.

Feelings:
Because of the distance I needed to run each day this was by far the hardest thing I've ever done. On the third day I injured my knee, the pain was terrible.

Any tips?
Do plenty of training. I did the challenge without training sufficiently. I got the idea on Wednesday, and started running on the Friday. My advice would be to begin training, and build up your strength over time. But it was one of my best ever challenges!

One of Wales’ most important ancient treasures is Bryn Celli Ddu near Llanddaniel Fab on the Island of Anglesey. It is a tomb from the Neolithic period and experts believe that work on it was begun about 5,000 years ago. It consists of large stones laid in a circle to create a chamber with a long passage leading down to it, with

the whole thing being covered with a mound of earth. Experts believe that many people have been buried there over a long period of time. Inside the tomb archaeologists have discovered human bones, arrowheads a stone bead and a large stone decorated with mysterious patterns.

What makes Bryn Celli Ddu even more interesting is that it has been aligned to the direction of the rising sun on the Summer Solstice. As the sun rises on this special day a shaft of sunlight shines down

the passage to light up the burial chamber within. Perhaps those who built it were trying to bring light, heat and life to their dead ancestors... who knows?