Report of visit to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Essex, United Kingdom

Abstract

As part of the Diploma in Education Administration and Management course of the University of Malta, a number of participants went on a fifteen-day attachment visit to various Schools in England and other European countries. The purpose of this visit was to obtain hands-on experience of school administration and to familiarize with staff of a foreign school. Through the generous help of a friend and ex co-student from my college days Mrs Angela Gander, who is a member of staff of an English Primary Roman Catholic School, arrangements were made for me to visit St. Peter's R.C. Primary School in Billericay, Essex where I was able to spend fifteen days familiarizing myself with administrative, teaching and minor staff practices. It was also made possible for me to observe the school organization, the curriculum, teaching methods, and all other contingencies made available by the school administration. In this report I will attempt to give as faithful an account as possible of experience gained through observation, interviews and conversations with the school administration, senior management, staff and students. I will also put forward some observations about what I consider most relevant, what I found most striking and what I believe could prove relevant and useful to me in my present educational situation in Malta. I feel in duty bound to thank those persons who made my visit possible and especially to make it the success I feel it has been. I thank all the staff at St. Peter's who were always ready to help me in all my requirements and to answer all my queries making themselves available during their limited free time. In Particular, my thanks go to the Head teacher Mr. S. Gallacher who promptly accepted my request to visit his school when I first made contact with him through Mrs. A Gander, the Deputy Head Mrs. S. Webster and the Assistant Head Mrs. M Fuller for their continuous availability whenever the need arose. My Head of School Sr. Carmelina Pace. FMM for the arrangements made in the school timetable to accommodate the pupils in my class during my absence. A sincere 'thank you' goes to the Gander family without whose help my visit would not have been possible, to Angela who made all the arrangements with her Head teacher prior to my arrival at St. Peter's, to her husband Toby and her lovely children Amy, Charlotte and Emily who had to put up with a visitor at their home and who always made sure that my free time was used profitably to get to know the area and also to visit London, which was a most enjoyable experience. Many thanks to Professor Charles Farrugia PhD (Lond.), F.R.S.A., of the Faculty of Education, University of Malta, on whose initiative these visits are organized and to Mr. Joseph Muscat BA (Hons.) for his contribution to the successful outcome of this educational venture.