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Gibraltar alumni reunite with St Mary's staff

St Mary’s Institute of Education staff boarded the London flight to Gibraltar in sleet and rain in February and arrived to find blue skies and warmth. 

It was the first time for St Mary's University Primary and Secondary programmes (rated ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED) to attend the biennial Gibraltar Universities Fair.

Sixteen Higher Education UK providers were present to meet hundreds of year 11-13 students, parents and teachers.  

Gibraltar photoLeft to right: Alumnus Darren Fa (Director of Gibraltar University) alumnus Hon Gilbert Lucidi QC, MP (Gibraltar Minister of Education) and Susan Taylor (Senior Lecturer at St Mary’s)

St Mary's teacher training programmes currently have 15 Gibraltarian students on undergraduate and PGCE courses. There is an established history of people from Gibraltar choosing to train as teachers at St Mary's.

Clive Woolger (Secondary PGCE recruitment) and Susan Taylor (Primary recruitment) had the opportunity to meet alumni who are parents and even grandparents, who quickly made for the St Mary's stand to declare their Simmie loyalty!

Alumni included the Director of Gibraltar University, Darren Fa and the Minister of Education, Hon Gilbert Lucidi QC, MP (photographed above with Susan).

Clive and Susan carried out interviews for the BA Primary Education course during their three-day visit (hosted at Bleak House Training Institute) and gave a careers talk on becoming a teacher to a joint sixth form group of year 12 and year 13 students from West Side and Bayside High Schools. A great first time visit for St Mary's Institute of Education.  

Long may the link with Gibraltar and teacher training at St Mary's continue! 

Susan Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in Recruitment and Enterprise in Primary Education as part of the Institute of Education.