In 2015, St. Julian’s Primary School linked with Mr Walyaula and his school, Busiu Primary School in Uganda. In 2015, Mr Mansfield and Mr Prewett (who is now a teacher at Mount. Pleasant Primary School) travelled to Uganda to visit the school to meet the staff and pupils. Mr Walyaula also visited St. Julian’s Primary School the same year and loved exploring Wales.
Since then, we have continued to build strong links with Uganda. Our pupils and teachers exchange letters with Ugandan pupils and teachers and we regularly update each other on our school news. In Uganda, they move their headteachers every five years and Mr Walyaula has now become the headteacher of Namunsi Primary School. Mrs Napokoli has become the headteacher of Busiu Primary School.
In 2017, Mr Mansfield returned to Uganda to visit both schools. We raised over £3000 which we were able to use to buy resources for both schools. We painted classrooms and blackboards, we bought pens, pencils, exercise books, goal posts, sports kits, sports equipment and many other resources.
Our pupils also donated clothes and pencil cases which we were able to give to many pupils in Uganda who couldn’t afford to buy school equipment.
In May 2019, Mr Mansfield led a team of 8 teachers from 5 schools in Newport in a visit to Uganda. We have supported those other schools in developing their own links with Ugadan Schools.
On this visit, pupils at St. Julian’s Primary School managed to raise more money and we installed electricity at Busiu Primary School, Painted another two classrooms, gave them a new laptop and printer, an iPad and Projector and two electric hot plates for cooking.
Sadly, the projector was stolen from the school, but they have been using the other equipment we have donated very well and were delighted to be only the second school in the entire district with working electricity.