Climate Tales

Climate Tales — Our Rationale

Ysgol Bryn Alyn is an eleven‑to‑sixteen mixed comprehensive school serving several close‑knit village communities in northwest Wrexham. We are a school of 728 learners with a socio‑economic profile that makes widening participation not just a priority, but a moral imperative.

• 27.33% of our learners are eligible for Free School Meals

• A further 37.54% are protected under Transitional Protected FSM

• 25% live in the 20% most deprived areas of Wales

• 8% have Additional Learning Needs or SEND

• A further 22% receive targeted universal provision

• We also host a resourced provision for pupils with moderate learning difficulties

Very few of our pupils speak English as an additional language or come from minority ethnic backgrounds. In our context, disadvantage and ALN are the most significant barriers to opportunity — and therefore the most urgent areas where we must act.

Dream. Reach. Achieve.

Since 2019, one of the school’s central missions has been to raise aspirations and widen horizons for every learner who walks through our doors. Our school motto captures this ambition, but living it requires more than words. It demands cultural change, long‑term commitment and a willingness to create opportunities that many of our learners would not otherwise encounter.

We take every chance — and as often as possible — to offer experiences that lift students beyond the limits of their postcode, their circumstances or their expectations of themselves.

One of the most powerful ways we have done this is by reaching outwards: building educational partnerships across Europe, not simply cultural exchanges, but deep, purposeful collaborations that place learning, creativity and personal growth at their heart.

A Growing European Network

Since 2019, we have collaborated with schools in:

• Bulgaria

• Denmark

• France

• Greece

• Italy

• Poland

• Portugal

• Turkey

In several countries, we have developed relationships with multiple schools, creating a network of colleagues who share our belief in the transformative power of international learning.

Our current TAITH project, Climate Tales, brings together partners in France, Greece, Poland and Turkey — countries where we already have strong, trusted relationships and a shared commitment to inclusive, creative education.

Changing Culture, One Opportunity at a Time

In the early years, many pupils were hesitant to apply for international projects. Confidence, self‑belief and a sense of belonging on the “global stage” were not yet part of our school culture.

But things have changed.

Participation has grown. Enthusiasm has grown. And the voices of those who have taken part — excited, proud, transformed — have become the most powerful recruitment tool we could ever have hoped for. Students who travel return with stories, confidence and a new sense of possibility. They share these experiences widely, and they would seize the chance to go again.

Participation in Climate Tales is offered to ALL students in the targeted year groups. We typically work with Year 8 and Year 9, ensuring they have time to share their learning and influence others across the school. Any student who needs support to apply receives it — no exceptions.

Relationships That Last

The impact of these projects extends far beyond the mobility visits. Strong, constructive relationships form:

• Student to student

• Teacher to teacher

• School to school

These relationships continue long after the visits end. The benefits of taking young people outside their social, emotional, cultural and educational comfort zones are visible, tangible and often profound.

We are not yet at the point where international collaboration is fully embedded in our planning and expectations — but we are getting there. And every project, every partnership, every shared experience moves us closer.

Our Commitment

We will take every opportunity, as often as we can, to ensure that every student we work with — here in Wrexham or alongside our partners overseas — truly can:

Dream. Reach. Achieve.