RIDGEWAY REACHES OUT ACROSS THE GLOBE

Swindon Advertiser, UK
19th September 2007

Rosemary Cairns, Phil Bevan, Trond Vagmo, Gwyn Newman, James Povoas,
Eddie Sims and Silvano O’Malley IT might not be out to conquer the
world – but Ridgeway School is making all the global friends it can.

The Wroughton secondary school has just been awarded an Intermediate
Status International School Award from the British Council.

And to celebrate, Trond Vlagmo, from Ridgeway’s partner school Askim,
in Norway, visited the Inverary Road school to cut a cake and present
a certificate showing their new status. Ridgeway’s International
co-ordinator Eddie Sims said it was a proud day for the school.

"It shows we are being recognised for developing links with other
schools across the globe," he said.

"We are currently working with five or six schools altogether and
hope to increase that in the future."

Among the countries the school has links with are Canada, India, the
Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Armenia, Ghana and, hopefully
in the near future, South Africa, Northern Ireland and America.

advertisement"We really are doing very nicely," said Mr Sims.

"It means that we have a more exciting curriculum and that the students
really enjoy their learning. We really are educating them to become
global citizens, and the students I have spoken to about the award
all seem pleased and excited."

Mr Vlagmo’s visit to the school also marks the start of a permanent
co-operation between the two schools, which will see pupils from each
visiting the other. He said he had enjoyed his trip to Swindon.

"I have been looking forward to this," he said.

"I had some thoughts about the school before I came here. Some things
were how I expected them to be and other things have impressed me."

He said that he thought the school was well equipped and told staff
about the differences in the education system in Norway.

"Here there are different rooms for different subjects and the teacher
owns the room," he said.

"In Norway, my teachers run from one room to another as the class owns
the room and all lessons are taught in there, whatever the subject."

Mr Vlagmo said that he hoped students from Ridgeway would soon be
visiting his school.

He added that he would like the secondary school to have even more
links with schools around the globe.

A hope that Mr Sims said was shared by staff and pupils at Ridgeway.