TWO teachers from St Julian’s Primary School kept on working throughout half term, but at a school in Uganda rather than Newport.

Deputy head teacher Luke Mansfield and Year Two teacher Tavis Prewett, both aged 29, travelled to Busiu Primary School in central Africa as part of a teaching exchange.

They spent a week at the school where they taught pupils their times tables but also about Wales and the symbolism of daffodils and leeks.

In the heat of the equator, the teachers had to get used to standing up in front of 80 to 100 youngsters instead of classes less than a third of a size in Newport.

Despite some of the children having no books and paper or even shoes to wear, their behaviour was excellent and they arrived keen to learn, Mr Mansfield said after his return to the UK.

When they arrived some of the teachers were on strike but children had turned up to lessons anyway, and some of the children in the older years had taken it upon themselves to take the class, he said.

After observing a day of lessons from classes in session, the St Julian's teachers improvised some counting sticks similar to those used in South Wales which help pupils visualise their times tables and drew posters for the wall on hessian sacks rather than paper so they would not get ruined by the rain.

“It was a truly amazing experience and one which we will definitely not forget," Mr Mansfield said. "You often see countries like Uganda on ‘Comic Relief’ or ‘Children in need’, but to experience it first-hand was life changing. It really made us value the things we have and often take for granted.”

Teachers from St Julian's applied for a grant from the British Council to take part in the exchange, and will soon welcome the headmaster of Busiu School to Newport to see what they can continue to learn from each other.

Mr Mansfield said he would treasure memories of the children telling him how happy they were that he visited, and of organising a sports day with a prize goat for the winners.

“Halfway through the sports day the goat escaped," he said. “All of a sudden I saw 300 children chasing the goat to bring it back.”

He said he and Mr Prewett had taken exercise books, pens, pencils and rubbers with them which they gave to the school.

They now hope to make the exchange an annual event.