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Richard Wijeratne on Loyalty, Covid, Crackerjack and Courses for Easter and Summer | XIC
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Oct 29, 2024
XIC's Director of College Richard Wijeratne was back in with Moody on Wednesday with an update just ahead of half term. He discussed the further easing of Covid restrictions within the school and how things are opening up for extracurricular activities later this year. The XIC Loyalty Card has also been re-booted and you can find more details on the new Xabia International College app. Be sure to Like and Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more insights from BayRadio Spain 🔔 and follow us on Social Media: Website: http://www.bayradio.fm/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BayRadioInSpain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayradiospain/
View Video Transcript
0:00
this is bay radio
0:02
we've teased this up enough it's time to
0:04
bring in uh mr witch richard wijrat he's
0:06
back from happy international college
0:07
good morning welcome back in good
0:08
morning moody good to see you it's
0:10
always a pleasure and as i say it just
0:11
lends a bit of class to the show which
0:13
needs it needs it sometimes this show
0:15
he's punching up a bit and uh i don't
0:17
know if that's a compliment or oh it's a
0:19
compliment oh it is thank you very much
0:20
and uh my mother will be the first to
0:21
tell you which oh yeah he sounds very
0:23
good on radio's knee and i don't care
0:25
for anyone in here that sounds better
0:26
than me on the radio but i'll allow yes
0:28
i'll allow it in this instance
0:31
but um it's it's obviously a busy time
0:33
for you and when's half term that's next
0:35
week is it next week yeah yeah next week
0:37
and um we've got uh just over 50
0:39
students going skiing in andorra
0:41
actually yes of course
0:43
yeah yeah i mean do you know what the
0:44
conditions are like i think it's not
0:45
around from what i hear not bad and and
0:48
i suppose the most important thing is
0:49
this whole idea of trying to get back to
0:50
some sort of normality you know we we've
0:53
um basically had to stop most of the
0:54
trips that we had had planned you know
0:57
so um having having the team go back up
0:59
to the mountains will be lovely for them
1:01
yeah i mean we're going to touch on this
1:02
i sort of cleared it with you first see
1:04
what you wanted to talk about but
1:05
obviously you know it's out there the
1:06
kobe restrictions whether they've been
1:08
eased or i don't know they came back for
1:10
a bit and now they've gone away again
1:11
what's what's the latest what is it
1:13
working at the school they they they are
1:14
easing and um you know
1:17
it's it's wonderful to be able to say to
1:19
children that they don't have to wear
1:20
their masks outside they still have to
1:22
be sensible and socially distanced and
1:25
we have staff all over the place trying
1:26
to help them with that but um you know
1:28
wearing a mask as you know and and as it
1:31
is quite strict in spain which is great
1:33
um
1:35
now that we've been able to release them
1:36
a little bit more it's great you know
1:38
actually to see a child's face and the
1:39
expressions on their face is really
1:41
important it's really important in
1:43
school it's really important daily life
1:44
so yeah that uh that restriction has
1:47
eased um we did used to take
1:50
temperatures on the gates as well which
1:52
wasn't
1:53
a requirement but it was something that
1:54
the college did just as an extra um and
1:57
very pleasingly we don't do that anymore
1:58
either so the idea is to try and um
2:01
encourage this
2:03
return to some sort of normality and we
2:05
have huge huge support from our parents
2:08
um and and i'd like to say thank you to
2:10
them now because not only have they
2:11
supported all of the the the protocols
2:13
and restrictions they've also sort of
2:15
shared with us their impressions and
2:17
their ideas about how we might be able
2:19
to to help our community that is the
2:21
college so yeah we're moving into
2:23
another stage and it's great i mean even
2:26
not having to play sport with a mask on
2:29
yes that's not ideal it is not ideal at
2:31
all absolutely absolutely horrible so
2:33
but the thing is i've seen this
2:34
elsewhere not just maybe in school but
2:36
um the children generally don't complain
2:38
do they about the mask
2:40
it's all it's an adult thing to argue
2:42
about them the the the children are
2:44
phenomenal and and and honestly not just
2:46
in xyc you know you think um
2:48
uh you know here and here in spain and
2:51
and globally
2:52
just having to have that if we just take
2:54
a moment and go back a couple of years
2:56
and see how we all took everything so
2:58
much for granted and now our youngsters
3:01
i mean i have i have three boys
3:03
you know they the first thing they do is
3:04
they know where to go to pick up a mask
3:06
yeah in the house we've got we've got a
3:08
mask box i mean it's it's it's just uh
3:11
you know we've come to learn to live
3:13
with it but uh young people are
3:14
incredibly resilient
3:16
and uh and i i say that about all
3:19
children in all schools i'm i'm so so
3:21
impressed with the way that they have
3:23
reacted to it and it's a real
3:25
responsibility that they take very
3:26
seriously i think and although you're
3:28
kind of an independent school as it were
3:30
you do need to you work with the
3:32
valencia region absolutely restrictions
3:34
absolutely and conditions yeah yeah so
3:36
what was the numbers what um how did it
3:38
work with say one child test positive
3:40
within within the class
3:42
now the whole class isn't off and it's
3:43
it's
3:44
five yes it's five now and you know we
3:46
when you have one or two you know you
3:48
just get a little bit concerned but um
3:50
yeah it's it's again that's how the
3:52
restrictions have been released slightly
3:54
and uh and it's great you know but i
3:56
think you know it's it's it's very much
3:58
how we're living with it in society
3:59
we're living with it in school as well
4:01
and um once again
4:03
you know we rely upon the responsible
4:05
attitude of our community our parents uh
4:08
who are great you know if they they they
4:11
contact us immediately their children
4:12
have got any sort of symptoms and keep
4:16
them off school
4:17
then they test them just in case uh and
4:19
should they be negative we're delighted
4:21
to have them in because i get a bit more
4:23
of an insight these days because we are
4:24
doing some work with you myself and
4:26
rosie absolutely coming in there every
4:27
week and
4:29
it's quite an eye opener sometimes
4:30
because i would i said i've mentioned
4:33
this we're doing some stuff at the
4:34
primary right you know when you've got
4:36
the three sites of course
4:38
and
4:39
it's easy for maybe non-parents like me
4:41
or older folk to think that all children
4:42
are like you know sulky on their phones
4:44
all the time but it's not true it really
4:47
isn't um and they just think well these
4:49
are going to have nothing to say but it
4:50
was just extraordinary we did a bit at
4:52
the primary illness just last week or
4:53
the week before
4:55
and the personalities on some of them
4:56
it's i mean you would know it you'd see
4:58
it obviously immediately that's why ones
5:00
that stand out moody you'll have to tell
5:02
me your experience but um it is uh if
5:04
you if you were to say to uh any of our
5:07
colleagues you know what is it that
5:08
inspires you it is then it's those
5:10
children and and i tell you that's one
5:12
of the most beautiful things about not
5:13
having the masks on especially when
5:14
they're little ones because out of the
5:17
mouths of babes come the most incredible
5:19
words and the incredible phrases that
5:20
they may hear or they may make up but it
5:23
it really is beautiful when you get the
5:24
chance to walk around
5:26
visit the classes see what the children
5:28
are doing
5:29
that's great but when you see them in
5:30
the in in their downtime in in in the
5:33
playgrounds they come up to you and and
5:36
and speak to you about all sorts of on
5:38
all sorts of topics it's very very
5:40
interesting and it's great fun yeah we
5:42
did a little thing talking about green
5:43
issues and maybe you know plastics in
5:44
the ocean they all had a view on it and
5:47
they'd seen stories and they're able to
5:48
relate them to us relay them to us
5:51
um and even just something like i think
5:52
we got a bit of a mix up with timings
5:54
and stuff and there's one little girl
5:56
said oh don't worry everyone makes
5:57
mistakes six or seven years old
6:00
yeah you see that you're forgiven
6:01
they're they're they're just reflecting
6:02
on their teachers there you see yeah i
6:04
suppose so yeah yeah no you must see you
6:06
must drop off on them i guess
6:08
because everyone remembers a decent
6:10
teacher from their school of course back
6:11
in the day it's it's it's absolutely key
6:14
and i mean we we'll remember but one of
6:16
the things and and i know when i come
6:17
and talk to you i i do i do like to to
6:20
say that um we work with some remarkable
6:22
people i mean i can only talk about our
6:25
team but it is
6:27
more than a privilege it's an absolute
6:29
pleasure when i when i when i'm getting
6:31
preparing to go to work i'm often there
6:33
as a smile breaks out because i know i'm
6:35
going to go and see these people that i
6:36
work with who are doing an amazing job
6:39
in in in a hard time it's not easy being
6:42
a teacher anyway no whatever anybody
6:44
says about anything it's not easy being
6:46
a teacher but these people are gifted
6:50
experienced dedicated they love what
6:53
they do and they love the children
6:54
they're with
6:55
and i think the reactions to what they
6:57
do is is is very very evident and easy
7:00
to see
7:01
what i would love to do what i would
7:03
love to do is to have the parents see
7:06
this in action because often it's it's
7:09
something that the parents miss you know
7:11
it really is something that they miss
7:12
but i know you guys have offered to do
7:14
some um some live streaming for us so
7:17
that we can actually show uh one or two
7:19
things that the children are doing in
7:20
school to our parent body which is
7:22
fantastic and that's something that i
7:23
know that we'll get together and maybe
7:25
we can give the parents a little bit
7:27
more of a flavor of what's going on in
7:28
the college and well what we are doing
7:30
we are doing a lot of video stuff and it
7:31
does it takes place within the the
7:33
classroom particularly the primary
7:34
they're all they're all together right
7:36
in this little select group and
7:38
you'll just see they've all got
7:39
something to to offer yeah and uh yeah i
7:42
was i was taking about i was quite
7:43
surprised i must admit i'm not used to
7:45
it and i fancy the idea of working with
7:47
children but it's you must have so many
7:49
stories you can go back you get quotes
7:51
taken away from there plenty to relay so
7:54
so so so many and and you know the the
7:56
the nice thing is i think
7:58
um when young people really recognize um
8:02
when they go through that transition of
8:03
going through possibly um into upper
8:05
primary
8:07
a little bit a little bit older and they
8:09
recognize that the people that they're
8:10
working with the teachers that work with
8:12
them are actually trying to improve them
8:13
you know that's the key when you
8:15
actually know that a teacher is trying
8:17
to make you better today than you were
8:18
yesterday it's it's that little trick
8:21
and and and it's wonderful and you see
8:23
it all the time so um
8:26
the children
8:28
are the absolute core of the college
8:30
obviously but the spine
8:32
are the staff you know the staff
8:34
if they if they're having a good day
8:36
which i certainly hope that they do
8:38
then that rubs off on the children and
8:40
the feedback is wonderful
8:42
um i was talking about you know the
8:44
primary school obviously you know
8:45
famously you they get to maybe 12 13 and
8:48
uh things change a little bit maybe
8:50
attitude i guess that's the people the
8:52
the teachers that deal with that age
8:54
group they're kind of used to that and
8:55
then they they know what to look out for
8:57
i think you know it's it's a it's a sad
8:59
um it's a sad thing to say that i've
9:00
been in teaching a long long time
9:02
i was working out with one of my sons
9:04
the other day it's 36 years
9:07
young people grow up much faster
9:09
nowadays than they did
9:11
and and that's just a fact of life
9:14
what young people were challenged with
9:16
when they were 16
9:17
um
9:18
30 years ago
9:20
20 years ago they seem to be challenged
9:22
with when they're 12 and 13 now
9:24
and when we think about the maturity of
9:26
a youngster and how they've got to take
9:28
on those those challenges we recognize
9:30
that it's not easy being being young and
9:33
it's in the dna of young people to make
9:34
mistakes but the key of it the key to it
9:37
is that um
9:38
they learn from them
9:40
and if they learn from them
9:41
it's a good mistake to make you know
9:43
because if it's a good mistake it's
9:45
actually contributing to your to your to
9:47
your to your future and and the fact
9:48
that you actually understand it's not
9:50
something you want to make again no no
9:52
you're talking about um children
9:53
maturing you know faster i told her i
9:55
think the other day it works at the
9:56
other end as well apparently 60 is the
9:58
new 40. is it delighted to hear yeah i'm
10:00
over the moon about that yeah me too
10:02
fast approaching let's get back on 2xic
10:04
shall we um i have a loyalty card
10:06
somewhere which you were very kind to uh
10:07
just you know as a sort of demo and uh
10:09
i guess it does work so what's the
10:11
what's the idea
10:12
well actually it's it's right in the
10:14
process of being relaunched because um
10:17
we the idea behind it actually
10:20
it's uh it was a pre-covered idea um we
10:23
recognize the fact that javier is a
10:25
small place but it does really well
10:28
during the summer summer months where
10:30
all of the a great number of the um the
10:32
the businesses
10:33
um
10:34
not so much feed off but uh do really
10:36
really well with the tourists here when
10:38
the tourists go it gets quite quiet so
10:41
we wondered how we might be able to
10:42
marry the the
10:43
the college with our community here in
10:46
xavier so the idea was to set up a
10:48
loyalty card
10:50
invite various businesses to um offer a
10:53
discount for our community in the
10:56
college to go and use those those those
10:58
businesses from veterinary surgeries to
11:01
to to hairdressers from hairdressers to
11:03
um insurance companies um and and and
11:07
and so on and restaurants etc and it
11:10
took off it absolutely took off and
11:12
rocketed and people were offering uh um
11:15
families in our community 15 10 15 20 30
11:19
30
11:20
uh discount for them to use their their
11:23
their businesses and um we just thought
11:25
it was such a nice way to say to
11:28
say to our community look here's your
11:29
card you've joined our joined our family
11:31
how many do you need do you want some
11:33
for the children or do you want just and
11:34
and and it took off but what's happened
11:37
is with covid
11:39
it's waned slightly so we have a
11:41
wonderful lady who works with us on
11:44
on on this and amy is contacting all of
11:46
those businesses again
11:48
and suggesting to those people in our
11:50
community if they want to be part of it
11:52
the card costs absolutely nothing the
11:54
thing that we love about it is its
11:55
loyalty and loyalty to us is a very very
11:58
big deal it's a very big deal we have a
12:00
we want to keep our school um uh small
12:03
in number
12:04
uh be loyal to our children by making
12:07
sure that we don't have large classes we
12:09
have an absolute maximum of 20 loyalty
12:11
to their education we also have a
12:13
loyalty to our our teachers by not
12:15
putting them under so much pressure of
12:17
having to have 24 25 30 children in
12:19
their class they're bound not to be able
12:22
to to function as they would otherwise
12:23
do if they had
12:24
fewer than 20 children in the class so
12:27
there is a great loyalty to this but i
12:30
want to say you know on air today um
12:32
colleges like our own
12:34
people choose us for reasons such as
12:37
that so a huge thank you to our parental
12:41
our parent community
12:43
i know they're linked in with us and i
12:44
know they're extremely loyal to us so if
12:46
we can do something with them
12:49
to help them
12:50
financially it's a little thing but it
12:52
means that actually they're getting a
12:54
discount
12:55
hopefully the businesses in xavier
12:57
benefit from it they clearly seem to be
12:59
very keen so yeah it is it is um it's an
13:02
easy thing you know uh for us to do but
13:04
something that amy's working extremely
13:06
hard to relaunch so through our app
13:08
we'll be able to be in touch with
13:10
our community and should um should
13:12
people want to get in touch with us they
13:14
can do so yeah you have an app now was
13:16
the one before or is this um it's a
13:18
brand new or relatively new this is this
13:20
is a new specific to xic yes we did have
13:23
an isr app but now this is specific to
13:25
the college so we could ping our parents
13:27
we can
13:28
advise them of of recent or or upcoming
13:30
um um information
13:33
and it's just the future yeah i should
13:35
imagine that the uptake's been pretty
13:36
yeah well exactly and the uptake's been
13:38
pretty good on that but anyone that
13:39
hasn't got it it's worth worth getting
13:41
obviously free to download from your
13:42
regular app store um communication is
13:44
key
13:45
yeah and i would say that because um our
13:47
stuff's on there as well if you go to
13:49
the podcast you'll see what the uh
13:50
exactly like you said sometimes the
13:51
parents want a bit of an insight into
13:53
what uh the children are doing and
13:54
there's quite a few on there and they
13:56
can watch as well it's not just the
13:57
audio there yeah got videos on there
13:59
right how important is that um the sort
14:01
of bits within the community even if
14:02
it's not directly recruiting new
14:04
students you know the having the
14:05
presence there is obviously key to
14:08
yourselves well we like we like people
14:09
to know about us obviously but um if
14:13
we all know the greatest tool in any
14:16
marketing
14:18
strategy
14:19
is word of mouth
14:21
and the greatest apostles we have are
14:23
the people who are within the college so
14:25
our students or our staff or our parents
14:27
will walk around the community and they
14:28
will talk about xic
14:30
i'm we are not so so heavily into a a
14:34
rigorous and
14:35
and uh and a brutal marketing campaign
14:38
i'd rather people see what we do hear
14:40
about what we do and actually touch and
14:42
feel what we do and then they get a feel
14:45
and a flavor for the college and that's
14:47
key because
14:48
when you invest in in putting your child
14:50
into xic
14:52
you need to know what the full and
14:53
long-term package is
14:55
what they will leave xic with what
14:59
ticket they have to their future what
15:01
rounded individual they will become how
15:04
they will be resilient to challenges how
15:06
they will actually be able to push
15:07
themselves how they find that exciting
15:09
and that's what's really really
15:11
interesting that the challenge is you
15:13
said something earlier about a younger
15:15
person who hasn't quite grasped it can
15:17
be a little bit surly and doesn't you
15:18
know doesn't really get the idea that
15:21
they should be pushing themselves in
15:22
school that is the challenge
15:25
of a teacher and when you see that light
15:27
bulb moment when somebody has turned the
15:29
corner and they recognize the talents
15:31
that they have and the enjoyment that
15:33
they get when somebody says brilliant
15:35
well done you know we have a wonderful
15:38
little um little thing that the staff
15:40
are into just now is we've uh we've
15:42
provided them with um
15:44
some postcards now that sounds a little
15:46
bit strange because nobody sends
15:47
postcards these days nobody sends
15:49
letters these days i can't remember the
15:50
last time i got something through the
15:51
post that wasn't a bill
15:52
um
15:53
so there's little postcards with uh with
15:55
with pictures from from from our of our
15:57
children that the staff can write
16:00
to the children or write to parents
16:03
or write to colleagues and say listen
16:05
thanks for what you did today you were
16:07
absolutely brilliant and when you pick
16:08
up something like that it's better than
16:10
opening a birthday card
16:12
it just is you know on your birthday if
16:14
you you sort of expect cars exactly yeah
16:16
but when you get something unexpected
16:18
through um through through the school
16:20
bag or or that way it's a little thing
16:22
but it gets that
16:24
closeness between a member of staff and
16:27
a parent and a child and somebody in the
16:30
community so yeah it's it's a it's it's
16:32
it's all good fun that's a skill isn't
16:34
it that's like a management thing when
16:36
dealing out praise not you don't overdo
16:38
you don't say it all the time you use it
16:40
sparingly but use it exactly the right
16:41
time and it really hits home and they
16:43
remember it probably for the rest of
16:44
their lives i hope so yeah absolutely
16:46
and and there is a program in the
16:48
primary school which which i love i
16:50
really do and mr j
16:51
and his team there
16:53
you know anya and the rest of them they
16:55
they they have a
16:56
they have a a a process called a crack
16:59
jack where if you uh if you're awarded a
17:02
cracker jack you're absolutely the top
17:04
you know and you get a you get a little
17:06
certificate and you get your name goes
17:07
on a board and it's a real achievement
17:09
and it's something that you will
17:10
remember and i hope they keep that and
17:12
when they're in there you know when
17:13
they're our age
17:15
my age
17:16
early 30s they'll find it um they'll
17:19
find it in a box somewhere and they'll
17:20
think oh gosh i remember i got that for
17:22
that you know so it's a it's a it's a
17:24
really nice thing to be able to reward
17:27
um
17:28
not just good work it's it's it's it's
17:30
good practice you know how um staff get
17:32
them
17:34
in school did you did you get one well
17:35
someone in our midst got a cracker jack
17:37
a badge
17:38
rosie there yeah
17:40
just for turning up that's not the uh
17:41
that's not the case with students that's
17:43
not right surely
17:44
well i didn't get one but um
17:47
you got to strive for this i hadn't
17:48
earned it by that stage no no
17:50
small things have a great impact in
17:53
young people's minds it's as simple as
17:55
that but you know praise is is is
17:57
important but young people recognize
17:59
when somebody's just being psychophantic
18:02
yeah they they they know so it's better
18:04
to to praise where praise is jew and
18:06
encouragement where it's where it works
18:08
jew and um and
18:10
children get things wrong so they've got
18:12
to understand that
18:14
staff and
18:15
the community that is in the college
18:16
will make absolutely certain that they
18:17
learn from the mistakes that we were
18:18
talking about earlier you know it's
18:19
going to be two years obviously next
18:20
month since everything shut down almost
18:22
overnight
18:24
but you were kind of
18:26
almost prepared for it in place and
18:27
particularly with the class sizes you uh
18:29
as you touched on earlier you're already
18:30
doing that and that became one of the
18:32
restrictions well yeah i mean the the
18:35
the that that was amazing because it
18:37
meant that as we didn't have huge
18:39
numbers we then had the facility within
18:42
which to create those socially distanced
18:45
um classrooms or rather tables and desks
18:47
in those classrooms but i think um we
18:50
talked over a year ago and maybe even
18:52
longer of how we would how we've reacted
18:56
to to the restrictions that we had and
18:58
the fact that we had to be
19:00
away from our students our students were
19:02
learning remotely that has changed
19:05
changed us stratospherically we are able
19:07
now to provide classes remotely
19:10
if ever anything happens where our child
19:13
can't come to school they can access
19:15
what's happening in the classroom
19:17
through google classroom
19:18
i once had to cover a lesson for
19:22
a spanish teacher who um
19:26
had to stay at home because his daughter
19:28
uh had had had coveted um
19:30
but he was delivering his lesson from
19:33
his sitting room through the power of
19:35
the promethean television that was in
19:37
the class it was fantastic and because
19:40
all of the children have their own
19:42
tablets uh provided by the college they
19:45
they can interact with the teacher as if
19:47
they were in the as if he were in the
19:49
class it was it was brilliant moody it
19:51
really was but you know that's how it
19:52
should be that's we live in a
19:54
technological the fantastically advanced
19:56
um world and that technology is
19:59
something that we um we need to use
20:02
these televisions are again rocket
20:05
they're unbelievable you
20:06
there's there's there the staff have to
20:08
teach the staff once they've got to the
20:10
next level and then they teach each
20:11
other again when they get to the next
20:13
level so that we use the tool i mean
20:14
it's a bit like using your mobile phone
20:16
to its capacity i use my mobile phone as
20:19
a phone
20:20
yeah
20:22
as memory serves um teachers used to
20:23
have trouble with even with the base
20:24
most basic of televisions once they'd
20:26
wheeled it in for you to watch something
20:28
um with the video player there as well
20:30
but um yeah and myself i've only just
20:32
got one a new telly that's not got a big
20:33
fat back on it so there's nobody asking
20:35
me about promethean tv
20:37
it's superb and uh but one of it's one
20:38
of the eight year olds we have to show
20:40
you how to do it immediately without
20:41
question yeah without question and what
20:43
you know what what our plans are for the
20:45
future is that um we're really keen to
20:48
upsize that that technology
20:51
throughout the college
20:53
because it is something that the the
20:54
board the shareholders of xic are very
20:57
keen to try and provide to make sure
20:59
that we provide the tools that the
21:01
students need in order to enjoy their
21:03
day and you know i could say to learn
21:06
but by enjoying their day they will be
21:08
learning
21:09
quite quite quite quite simply it goes
21:12
hand in hand so yeah we're lucky because
21:14
the team that we have um as in the
21:16
shareholders uh through to the the
21:19
leaders in the in the management
21:21
of of of our staff it's just so
21:23
proactive
21:24
really positive extremely positive you
21:26
know the the the
21:28
the idea of making sure that we work
21:31
together as a team
21:33
and have those simple values that we
21:35
want to try and make sure that the young
21:36
person has the best day that they
21:37
possibly can
21:39
is key yeah well when i mentioned uh
21:41
about going into lockdown i wanted to go
21:43
back and look back but it brings us
21:44
around to talking about how things may
21:46
be opening up again and we had it was
21:48
unfortunate timing probably for
21:49
everybody but uh yourself you were just
21:51
starting to get you know with the new
21:52
school and underway and maybe some
21:55
after-school classes that's all finished
21:57
obviously but how are we looking for
21:58
future projects right yeah well
22:01
it was really tricky and we have an
22:03
amazing amazing chap in uh darren
22:06
hambrook and he really is a giant and um
22:09
student staff
22:11
parents
22:12
he is respected by all but we
22:15
were very lucky that he joined our team
22:17
as he is hugely experienced in
22:19
extracurricular activities uh back in
22:21
the uk he was working with five or six
22:23
schools in and around the brighton area
22:25
from football to dance from dance to
22:28
karate and all sorts of different
22:29
different activities so his his remit is
22:32
to um create a really full
22:35
extracurricular activity program which
22:37
we had and he interviews um um potential
22:41
um coaches etc on a regular daily basis
22:44
and um the the whole package is is is
22:47
about is ready to go young people are
22:49
are attending activities summer schools
22:52
easter clubs
22:53
things planned for christmas um weekend
22:57
activities it's it's it's great and what
22:59
darren has is he has that enormous skill
23:02
of again going to the community finding
23:04
the nuggets that are within the
23:05
community and bringing them into our
23:07
community to offer those youngsters the
23:09
possibility of doing and participating
23:12
in activities
23:14
what i love as well is we don't want the
23:16
college to remain empty when it's when
23:19
this when when when the students aren't
23:21
there it's a wonderful facility it's in
23:23
a great position the location is great
23:25
there's you know um so the idea is to
23:28
open the college to um different
23:30
activities for the adult um community as
23:33
well and that can be from
23:36
pilates to karate to dance but also
23:40
something that i think is very valuable
23:42
is is is teaching i.t skills
23:45
to a slightly older generation who
23:48
nowadays have to navigate the whole idea
23:51
of something even as
23:54
strange or simple as a passenger locator
23:56
form sure do you know i mean you're
23:57
asking somebody who doesn't really use a
23:59
computer to try and understand how to
24:01
deal with that in order for them to be
24:02
able to go and see their children in
24:04
another country yeah so the key here is
24:06
getting the right people to do the do do
24:08
those things and you know i'd like to
24:11
say uh darren is fabulous and when he's
24:14
not interviewing people and he's not uh
24:16
trying to put his activities together
24:18
he's helping us in um in school because
24:21
you know whether we like it or not
24:23
we do have the odd staff member staff
24:25
from time to time who has to take a week
24:27
or ten days off because they've been
24:29
exposed to or or have actually
24:31
contracted covid so he's one of our
24:33
supply teachers as well
24:35
hugely into his pe fantastic in that in
24:37
that area and actually he's helping in
24:38
our primary school um some of the staff
24:40
there as well yeah i see we we've shared
24:43
the uh the job post that's come up for
24:45
maternity cover coming up at the primary
24:46
school so the details on your your
24:49
facebook page and on ours as well bay
24:51
radio in spain that'll get you towards
24:52
it so summer school summer course is
24:54
likely to be to be something yeah last
24:57
year last year we restricted it um only
24:59
to xic students to try and protect the
25:01
community and and this year we're going
25:04
to be a little bit braver and we will
25:07
open our summer school to all comers
25:09
it's uh it's never going to be an
25:11
enormous number of students the way that
25:13
darren runs it is that there are lots of
25:15
many groups of people so that you're not
25:17
going to have 40 or 50 together at one
25:19
time you're going to have small pods of
25:21
15 to 20 10 15 to 20. so there's plenty
25:24
of space to be able to do the activities
25:26
that that he has available yeah i mean
25:28
in the outdoor area you've got quite a
25:30
quite a big area there so that's uh we
25:31
do but we'll also use the other we'll
25:33
also use the primary schools because
25:35
they have uh they're just beautiful i
25:36
mean one of the things that i think
25:39
i love most of all is when you
25:41
drive to our um
25:44
primary schools
25:45
you drive past them you if you had the
25:47
chance to go in there are tardis's
25:49
i mean you you now know because you've
25:51
probably driven past those schools many
25:53
times but now you're part of it and
25:54
you've actually been in there you get
25:56
the idea of the space that is there so
25:58
having been having been able to split
26:00
our school into three it's just given
26:02
what one of the things that um the board
26:04
were very very keen when when when i
26:06
joined three or four years ago was to
26:09
create time and space for our community
26:12
time for the teachers so they're not
26:14
over overstressed with the number of um
26:15
lessons that they do and the time time
26:17
to just think and interact with each
26:19
other
26:20
to work out you know what's the best
26:22
best way forward for our students but
26:24
also space for those students to be able
26:27
to just explore
26:28
and get a bit bigger and stronger in
26:30
what they're doing every day so you know
26:32
my our collective thanks do go to the
26:35
shareholders because they have put a lot
26:37
of time and effort and thought into
26:40
into what we do they care about us they
26:42
don't just use us as they don't just uh
26:44
put a bit of money on the table and say
26:46
go and do this they are actually very
26:48
very interested in what we're doing day
26:49
to day so it's xic dot college the
26:52
website so i'm sure you can search for
26:53
the facebook page as well make sure
26:54
you're a part of that and get the app as
26:56
well because um do you get something
26:59
pinged out to you you'll be first to
27:00
know and you can watch our podcasts as
27:02
well in a sneaky little mention from
27:04
bits and bobs in there but it goes on
27:05
and we know it does i'm very happy with
27:07
what they've been we've been doing and
27:09
do you know do get in touch with us
27:10
because we'll be in you know we'll we'll
27:12
point you in the direction of amy should
27:15
you want to be part of our loyalty
27:16
program the more the merrier it really
27:18
is you know if if it helps our community
27:20
and it helps our our school community
27:23
that's the key to this
27:25
well thank you so much for coming in
27:26
it's brilliant about out of time as they
27:28
say but i shall see you fairly soon
27:29
anyway but definitely do pop back in on
27:31
here but if there's anything to update
27:32
us with i will and and you know work
27:34
hard persevere and then i'm absolutely
27:36
convinced that you will get that cracker
27:38
jack
27:39
that's that's what you know when i i
27:40
dried earlier it's because i was going
27:42
to make some reference to the tv show
27:43
which was um lost on any of the students
27:45
there but mr jam knew what i was talking
27:47
about yeah yeah you don't have to shout
27:48
crackerjack back at him when he gives
27:49
you the badge but crackerjack actually
27:51
is a word and i didn't know this but a
27:52
crack jack as a word means uh somebody
27:54
who has done something outstanding
27:57
and it's actually a german teacher from
27:58
the college who introduced me to the
28:00
word because he has he learns three
28:02
english words every day
28:04
and one of them happened to be cracker
28:05
jack see so that's where it's born
28:07
they're way ahead over
28:09
there every day
28:25
you
#Education
#Kids & Teens
#Primary & Secondary Schooling (K-12)