My school

How do you get to school? I go to school by bus because my house is quite far from the school. I go by foot because I live very close to the school. Sometimes my mother brings me in the car, especially when it is raining a lot. It depends, if I get up early I walk and if not I take the bus.

What time do classes start? Classes begin at 9:30 but we have to be in school at 9 or 9:10 because there is normally an assembly and also the register is called at 9:20.

How long does a class last? One class lasts 35 minutes exactly, we have one period classes and also doubles, that is to say two classes together.

What do you do during break time? During breaktime I chat with my friends, I eat something like an apple or a packet of crisps and I drink fruit juice or coca-cola. Breaktime lasts for 15 minutes and goes by very quickly. We have break at 10:30. During break I eat something and if the weather is good I go out to the playground to play football with my friends and classmates.

How many subjects do you study? This year I study 10 subjects, which is a lot! They are maths, physics, chemistry, biology, PE, HE, technology, English language, English literature, history, geography, French, German, Irish, Spanish, politics…

What do you eat for lunch? Lunchtime starts at 12:50 and ends at 1:45, in my school you have two option, one is to bring in your own food, normally a sandwich, fruit, a packet of crisps, a chocolate bar and a drink. The other option is to go to the refectory, which we call the canteen, and eat there. In the refectory you can eat whatever you want from a sandwich to a plate of rice with chicken curry, but the most popular thing is chips and there are always sweet desserts like flan or custard which are also very popular.

Do you have to do much homework? Loads, everyday we have an hour or more of homework and at weekends almost 3 hours. It’s too much because between homework and after school activities I have hardly any free time and I am always tired. The teachers should give less homework.

What is your favourite subject? Why? My favourite subject is maths because I really like to solve problems. The subject I like the most is Spanish because I love to go on holiday and be able to order in restaurants. I prefer history because I have a good memory and I can remember lots of details. I love English literature because I have a passion for reading.

Is there a subject you don’t like? Why? Yes, I hate PE because doing sport makes me ill and for that reason I don’t like it at all. I hate history because you have to learn lots of dates my heart. What I like the least is chemistry because it makes me sick, I don’t understand anything and what’s more there is lots of homework. What I don’t like is geography because I can’t read maps, it’s very hard for me.

Are there clubs in school? Yes there are lots, I am a member of the basketball team and we train every Tuesday evening after school. Yes there are clubs. There are a few, there is one which has just started which is a cinema club and each week we watch a different film, some of the films are foreign and for me this is very interesting.

What did you do yesterday at lunchtime? At lunchtime yesterday, I chatted to my friends in school, since we are not allowed to go out of school until next year. Next year it will be more interesting because we will go out to eat. I ate in the canteen and afterwards I played football with my classmates. I didn’t do much, I ate my sandwich, and afterwards I went to the library to read something to kill time.

What is your school like? My school is very new. It opened in 2003 (se inauguró) and there is an interactive whiteboard in every room. There are at least 70 teachers and some 600 pupils. It is a mixed school, that is to say there are both boys and girlsand it is located in south-east Belfast. My school is called Aquinas in honour of the famous St Thomas Aquinas.

Tell me about a typical day in your school? A typical day in school consists of: I arrive at school at 9:10 approx. Firstly I go to registration at 9:20 and then if there is assembly I go and if not I prepare my books for the first periods from 9:30 to 10:30. Break begins at this time until 10:45 and then we have 4 periods in a row until lunchtime which is at 12:50. Lunchtime ends at 1:45 and in the afternoon we have four more periods before finishing at 3:40.

What do you think of the school uniform? I think it is a very good idea because that way all the students look the same and there aren’t any differences and in the morning you don’t have to think about what to wear – you just get up, get dressed and you’re ready to go. I hate the uniform – we all look the same. It’s cold in winter and it makes you feel hot in the summer. I neither like nor dislike it. I have to wear it and so I do. It has pluses such as it is cheap, and bad points such as the fact that everyone in the street knows which school you go to and in Belfast this can be dangerous.

What are the school rules? The school rules are: It is not permitted to eat or drink in classrooms. Smoking is prohibited in school. Uniform must be worn correctly. Mobile phones are not allowed in classrooms. Chewing gum is not allowed. Make-up and flamboyant hairstyles are forbidden

Is it a good thing to have rules in school? Yes, because with so many pupils it would be chaos. Of course in all places it is necessary to have rules and that they are obeyed. No, they are too strict and there are too many of them. Some rules would be fine, but so many and so many strict ones is excessive.

Which subjects would you like to study at A level? I would like to study sciences with a language because I am good at them and I believe that they are very important for the future. I would like to study humanities with maths because I am not sure about what I want to study afterwards and I do not want to close any options. I have it very clear in my mind – I am going to study the subjects in which I get the best results in June.

What are you thinking of dong afterwards? I want to go to university to study Medicine. I would like to study here close to home, at least for the first year, live with my parents and in the second year, share a flat with my university classmates. I would like to take a year out and go travelling the world, then return and focus on my studies in Law, possibly with Spanish. I would like to study in Scotland because they say that the craic is good there.

What would your ideal school be like? My ideal school already exists and it’s Aquinas. My ideal school would be one where there wasn’t any homework and where you didn’t have to wear a uniform.