Packed itinerary as Bridge pupils head on Middle East adventure!

The 15 pupils and three teachers set off on their nine-day Middle East adventure on Saturday, March 2.

The trip was made possible thanks to a grant from the Turing Scheme, with principal Mrs Teresa Devlin “surprised” and “delighted” when she received confirmation that her application - submitted back in March 2023 - was accepted.

Recalling the memorable educational visit, the principal said: “We packed a huge amount into the trip, the main objectives of which were to experience school life in another country and to develop our understanding of global diversity by visiting a country where the main religion is Islam and the culture primarily Arabic.

“We spent several days in Year 6 in JAS – Jebel Ali School – which is an international school with a population of over 1700 pupils ranging from nursery age to A-Levels.

“The children joined Year 6 classes and were taught PE, Literacy, Numeracy, STEM, Music and Arabic.

“The experience in the school was fantastic and we had the chance to be involved in World Book Day celebrations while we were there, reading to the younger children and listening out for the bell that told us to drop everything and read!

“The school facilities were out of this world with several multi-purpose halls, two swimming pools, a huge multi-purpose pitch and a carefully designed, six section outdoor play area for Foundation Stage and Key Stage One that made outdoor learning accessible and purposeful for everyone.

“One of the objectives of the trip was to help our pupils see beyond the community barriers in our own country and to see diversity in action in a global context.

“JAS is an international school and the children made friends with children from many countries, races and religions during their time at school.

“We also spent a day visiting Abu Dhabi and had a guided tour of the Grand Mosque there.

“This was incredibly informative and interesting and the children asked great questions.”

Mrs Devlin said the itinerary was packed full! “Several days at school followed by visits to Dubai Safari, the Dubai Fountains, the Burj Khalifa, the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Aquarium, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, the Global Village, Kite Beach, Old City souks and a trip on an abra.

“We also had an amazing Desert Safari experience which included driving on the sand dunes and riding on camels!

“The trip was rounded off with a dinner cruise along the marina to enjoy the beautiful skyline. This trip was definitely one of a lifetime for all of us!”

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