Kingsbridge school visits Downing Street as part of Ukraine twinning scheme
YGG Pontybrenin, in Kingsbridge, Gorseinon is amongst more than 750 schools from across the UK and Ukraine who have applied to take part in the scheme, after Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership in January.
The programme will further cement the unbreakable ties between the two countries, fostering classroom friendships, cultural understanding and inspiring future generations of world leaders, diplomats and business leaders.
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontybrenin at Downing Street with teacher Sophie DarkYear Six teacher Sophie Dark was thrilled to accompany YGG Pontybrenin pupils to the official launch event at No10 on April 25 – also attended by children from Kyiv School Number 219 which the Prime Minister visited in January.
She said: “It was an incredible, surreal experience. I had to get the kids to pinch me because it was something I hadn’t expected, and to be able to give that opportunity to the students as well is something that I, and certainly they, won’t forget.
“The pupils absolutely loved the tour, but their first impression of 10 Downing Street was meeting Larry the Cat. For myself, it was climbing up those stairs from Love Actually.
“It was just incredible to have a tour, to see the Cabinet Room, and to see where the Second World War ended, but with the future of tomorrow in the room with you. That was a pinch me moment.”
Downing Street and Minister Doughty host Lessons at 10.(Image: Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street)Downing Street and Minister Doughty host Lessons at 10.
(Image: Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street)Downing Street and Minister Doughty host Lessons at 10.
(Image: Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street)
YGG Pontybrenin has been paired with a school in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine and Sophie says the children are already finding common bonds despite the horrors of war being inflicted on Ukraine following Russia’s barbaric invasion.
Sophie explained: “We’ve already started the project back in March and we’ve already made contact with the children there.
“For us, with the school we’re linked with in Kryvyi Rih, we’ve been exchanging videos and in those videos we’ve seen sirens go off in the background, so our students have got an understanding of what is going on in Ukraine.
“They also know that they are learning online and they go to school one day a week and they go to school in the church sometimes because the church has a cellar underground, so it is the safest place for them to get together.
“But our students know the children in Kryvyi Rih are safe and they know they are giving those children hope that there is life outside of Ukraine and that there is life outside of the war and the conflict.
“The situation in Ukraine is pretty different to the situation in Wales. However, they’ve seen so many parallels between life here and life there.
“There’s mines and steelworks in Ukraine, they’ve got a national costume, they’ve got a national dance. We did some dancing in Downing Street and it was so similar to the dawnsio gwerin in Wales.
“So, the children can see that they are similar and not everyone is completely different, which was really great.”
Sophie added: “They got an opportunity to write letters and you could really see it was children because they were asking simple questions like ‘What’s your favourite colour?’, ‘Do you prefer cats or dogs?’.
“Hopefully it is a partnership that is going to go on for a hundred years and I just hope it does because we all remember the pen pals we had as children, so you hope that that is going to be the same for them.
“At the moment, we’ve been doing sharing a book together and it is a book about colours. We’ve been learning the words in Ukrainian and they’ve been learning the words not only in English but in Welsh, so it’s a three language project for us, so it is really special.”
Children from YGG Pontybrenin, St Marie’s Catholic Primary School & Nursery, Rugby, Warwickshire, and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School attended the event hosted by Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty.
The children will also mark the launch of a new commemorative stamp, designed by both the UK and Ukrainian governments, which will be entered into circulation by the Ukrainian postal service Ukrposhta from the end of this month.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The unbreakable bond between the UK and Ukraine is often best reflected in the friendships formed among our children. These young minds are the architects of our future and security, fostering connections that transcend borders and cultures, and this partnership will deliver brighter futures for children in both countries.
“Our support is not only about providing military assistance, which remains crucial in ensuring Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, but also about standing by Ukraine for generations to come, as it seeks a just and lasting peace.
“That’s why our support matters not only now, but for our future, as all ages stand up for the values we hold dear, which are fundamental to our national security and Plan for Change.”
The schools are being supported through the British Council’s UK-Ukraine School Partnerships programme.
Head of UK Schools at the British Council, Shannon West said: “Creating opportunities for young people has been at the heart of the work of the British Council for the last 90 years.
“We are delighted to be working with so many schools on this programme, which will give young people the international outlook and skills to thrive in our global society and strengthen ties between the UK and Ukraine.”
#10DowningStreet #education #Gorseinon #KierStarmer #Kingsbridge #Loughor #PontybreninPrimarySchool #PrimeMinister #UKGovernment #Ukraine
