Below is a further update from our member in Ukraine.

School visit 2

So on to our second school. This time a through school, grades 1 to 11. Ages 6 to 17. We were met by the English/Chinese teacher Maksym and the Principal Katrina. The school was named after the famous Ukrainian, and son of Lviv, physicist Ivan Puluj who discovered x-rays at the same time and independently of the German Wilhelmina Röntgen.

Before entering the building we held a minutes silence by the memorial at the entrance for 3 of the schools past pupils who had paid the ultimate price defending their country from Russian occupation and were reminded again that this war of occupation first started in parts of Ukraine in 2014 and February 2022 was the start of the full invasion.

The principal was pleased to show us how she and her staff had been pro-active getting local businesses to sponsor improvements to the school to offer the best education for her students. The school had also had investment from the city council as it was also a central community hub open at all times when the students were not in class as a shelter and where families could cook meals etc if the power was cut off locally.

It was very interesting to hear how the secondary aged students were taught by ex-servicemen how to use metal detectors, identify certain shell casings, and dangers such as land mines. At first this seemed to be getting their students ready to be the future soldiers of Ukraine. But we soon found out that this was more for the students to be prepared for their country post war. The government and schools know that after the hostilities, which they belief they will win, large areas of their country will be left scared and dangerous with the military hardware left behind by the retreating invaders. Civilians will need to know how to protect themselves against this military debris over the future years. The ex-serviceman’s greatest wish was that none of his students would ever have to put on a uniform when they leave school.

The school had integrated its shelters into a multi use teaching space doing some gym classes in them during the day. They did say that they were lucky that here in Lviv the sirens only go off now at most once a week/fortnightly. But they are still constantly prepared and ready to take shelter.

The school was proud of how they had developed mindfulness spaces. Zones with beans bags where students could take a break and chat with councillors and psychologists. A member of the PE department had spent their own time over the summer with colleagues turning an area into a climbing wall classroom where students could help release their thoughts whilst pushing themselves during an activity. The school had also introduced a taught lesson of chess a week for all students. This quiet time helped develop strategy and tactics but also helped improve focus and relaxation techniques. They also found that it helped the students stay off social media and communicate with family at home about their concerns and feelings, especially with grandparents.

We were also pleased to see a thriving SEN department. Through discussion, we found out that more and more children are seeking support, which is enabling schools to provide the students with the support they need. All signage in the school was also provided in braille. Our hosts admitted that the school was not fully accessible yet, but they had a vision of it being so in the future and believed that all schools in Ukraine were going to have to move this way as disabilities now could not be hidden and families did not have to be ashamed of them and worry about asking for support. It was wonderful to see that even in the worst of times that the staff were talking positively about their future plans.