VALE of Glamorgan mayor Cllr Fred Johnson recently welcomed teachers from Germany, Belgium, Poland and Holland, together with staff from Ysgol y Deri in Penarth to Barry Town Hall.

The visit celebrated the finish of a two-year project, which looked at opportunities for pupils with special needs once they leave school.

The project has been a huge success, encouraging both pupil and teaching exchanges. The visiting teachers commented widely on the strengths of Ysgol y Deri, the structured, yet stimulating environment, and the way that the school curriculum has been developed to enable students to leave with the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience which will help them to lead full and independent lives.

The mayor was delighted to present the European teachers with commemorative books and said: “It has been a pleasure to learn more about specialist teaching in Europe, and how the outstanding commitment of the staff at Ysgol y Deri have contributed to make it one of the flagship schools offering dedicated provision for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the UK. I would like to wish everyone involved continued success.”