St Catherines High School is a private, independent, family run school, for children in Malta aged from 2-16 years old. The school welcomes both boys and girls and is open to local as well as foreign students. The setting enshrines three main vision statements that support the schools overall ethos, which are; a focus on academic achievement, an emphasis on discipline and a belief that the an environment needs to be designed to embrace a child's overall well-being. The general language spoken admist the practitioners and children at the school is English, except when the children are being taught in their Maltese lessons or are in other Modern Foreign language lessons. The school offers many modern facilities including a music hall, a gym, a computer lab, a home economics room, an art room and play zones both inside and outside for recreational use, with the outside area also offering an artificial turf pitch for football and other ball games. The school also offers extra curricular activities such as Drama, Gymnastics and Catechism lessons, which are designed to prepare the children for their Holy Communions or Confirmations as part of the Roman Catholic religion. The school day starts at 8am and ends at 1.40pm for the 4-16 year olds, and comprises of 7 lessons of 40 minute durations, with 2 breaks, whereas for the Nursery children, aged 2-4 years old, the setting offers both basic hours (8.30am-12.30pm) or extended hours (7.30am-1.30pm).
I was lucky enough to have relatives in Malta, whom I stayed with whilst completing my placement at St Catherine's High School, however Malta comprises of many tourist hotspots, offering various hotels and bed and breakfasts, which are within reach of St Catherine's High School, by using the Maltese Buses. As Malta is only a small island, any part of the Island which you choose to stay at would take no more than 40 minutes on average to reach the setting, however, places that are very easily accessible to St Catherines High School via buses and offer many popular hotels for tourists to stay in that are open all year round would be St Julians, Silema, and Qwara, which would all take approximately 10-20 minutes via the bus to arrive at St Catherines.
Many airlines, such as easy jet, ryan air and AirMalta offer flight or/and hotel packages to Malta throughout the year. As I was staying with relatives, I booked my flights through RyanAir, and I was picked up from the Airport by my family, however buses do run to and from the airport to the main tourist attractions in Malta, and taxis also are situated at the airport, however booking airport transfers in advance may work out the cheapest and most reliable option to choose from.
As St Catherines High School is situated just off the main coastal road in Malta, buses regularly run past the setting and are priced at Euro1.30 for a single trip and Euro2.60 for an all day ticket. Bus Journeys, Routes and Downloadable Timetables can be found on the Arriva Malta website and can also be picked up at the main bus terminus in Malta, which is situated in Qwara.
There are many social activities and expeditions in Malta to choose from. As the Island covers a small area span, everything is in easy reach via the buses, and buses will often run until late in the evenings, but make sure that you arrive at a bus stop at least 10 minutes before the allocated arrival time of the bus as during the winter times, buses are often quieter, especially during the evenings, and often do not wait at the bus stop until the particular time in which they are meant to arrive there, if they are early!
St Julians is host to the majority of the Maltese Nightlife, and consists of many bars, nightclubs and restaurants designed for younger adults, offering a mix of quieter cocktail bars to lively nightclubs offering special events and club nights during weekends that often run into the early hours of the morning, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. However, many of the main tourist destinations such as Bugibba, Qwara and Silema also all offer a mix of restaurants and bars, but if you are wanting the crowds and electric atmosphere, then St Julians may be more suited for you!
The Point is a recently opened shopping mall in Silema, offering high street shops such as Debenhams and New Look, and is open 6 days a week until 7.30pm.
If you are looking for a more historical venture, the small Maltese island comprises of many historical and cultural landmarks, from the capital city of Valletta, which offers breathtaking views accross the grand harbour in Malta, to The Wignacourt Museum, in Rabat, which allows you to explore WW11 shelters, Catacombs and St Paul's Grotto and is open 7 days a week and Euro5.00 for an adult ticket.
Also, Mosta Dome is another popular tourist attraction and is the third largest unsupported dome in the world and was hit by a bomb in WW11, which did not explode, but a replica of the bomb is now on display within the dome for visitors to view. Admission is free to the public and it is open various hours between Monday-Saturday.
Gozo is Malta's neighbouring island and is reknowned for its hilly and scenic views. To reach Gozo, the ferry travels to and from Malta throughout the day and all information regarding fares and departure times can be found on the Gozo Channel website.
Things to do, things not to do
- Don't drink the tap water: always buy bottled water, which can be bought very cheap and in bulk at supermarkets on the Island.
- Try to avoid taxis, espcially on your own, and if you have not pre-booked them (i.e, for airport transfers) as they can be costly.
- When it comes to changing your currency, always look prior to leaving whether Malta currently offers the best exchange rate, or England. When I visited Malta, I changed a small amount of my money in England, so I had money to arrive with, but the exchange rate was better within Malta and there are many small tourist shops that can exchange your money for you.
- Do take sun cream, as monthly temperatures in Malta can range from anything between 12degress to 30+ degrees, however in the Winter months, evenings can be quite cool so remember to take jumpers and warmer clothes as well, just in case!
St Catherines High School contact details:
- St Catherines High School
11 Suffolk Road
Pembroke, PBK 1901
Malta
- Telephone: +35621376543/4
- Email: info@stcatherines.eu
When I was contacting the setting regarding my placement, the school were very fast and efficient at replying via email.
Before you go, ensure that you have spoken to the setting about who will be your main point of contact there and have a arranged a time to start on your first day and where you will need to go when you enter the setting. Also, reasearching and reading through the schools webpage helps to provide a better understanding of the schools ethos and background information before you arrive.
Also, make sure you have researched what you need to find out during your placement experience, so you are better prepared for what to look out for and what questions you may need to ask to support and assist you - also taking a notebook to jot down notes as you go along may be beneficial to ensure that you don't forget any of the information you recieve!
Check the currency rates in both Malta and England before you leave to see where you can recieve a better exchange rate.
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