Bulgarian School Chuchuliga (Skylark) in Croydon

2022 - 2023 School Year!

The seventh year of the Bulgarian School Skylark!

The new school year 2022-2023 is the seventh for the School. Is that too many or too lttle - the children of our school and their parents can better tell! A good number of children, who entered our School back in 2016, continue to be with us. As time was going on, we found that South and South-East London needs another branch of the School, and we opened a new one in Caterham. And last year students, living in Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells, enroled in our School, as well. So, we continue to expand our education activities in our efforts to respond to the needs of Bulgarian families living in this part of London and of Southern England.

Growing!

Indeed, the children that came to us in 2016, are now in year 10! We grow not only by learning years - now we have children age 5 to age 19, which is year 12 - but also in number: the school started with 16 children only, then we had 42 children, last year we had 90 students and this shool year we work with more than 100 students!

The three school's locations

Starting the 2022-2023 school year, we are now having classes in three locations: at "Arhcbishop Tenison's CoE High School" in Central Croydon, at "Hillcroft Primary School" in Caterham and in the classrooms of "OfficeTribe" in Tunbridge Wells".

Parents, please bring your children at the time for their classes and take them back after the classes have finished so that each year group starts lessons on time and finish on time too - thus, we will use our teaching time in the most efficient way. The parents of children, who study at "Archbishop Tenison's", already know that we use the entrance facing the playground, not the main school's entrance; and the parents of children, who have their classes at "Hillcroft Primary" know that we use the entrance adjacent to the school's Dining Hall.

The year group students living in Tunbridge Wells and the neighbouring towns of Tonbridge and Sevenoaks should contact the year group's teacher Ms Plamena Andreeva (bgschooltw@gmail.com) for any detail and news about the new school year. They can also write to the School's email (chuchuliga.uk@gmail.com) or give us a call!

Dear parents and students!

Welcome to the webpage of the Bulgarian School Chuchuliga (Skylark)!

Our School started its first classes at the beginning of September 2016 and now we continue to work with children and parents living in Croydon, Caterham and other neighbouring South London's boroughs and beyond London.

For the 2022-2023 school year the School offers two approaches to education.

In-class education where students and teachers have classes at the education facilities of Archbishop Tenison's High School in Croydon and of Hillcroft Primary School in Caterham; now we are using the education facilities of the business centre OfficeTribe in Tunbridge Wells where more than 20 students study there.

Online education which can be of two types: online teaching and learning where teachers work with small students' groups of the same school year through the online platform Zoom, and distant teaching where teachers and students use various education platforms to fulfil all curriculum-defined education goals and objectives; it is important that in this type of education all lessons, excercises, tests, training materials, etc. are regularly and efficiently done while teachers and students remain in constant contact with each other

Teaching at the School is done according to Order № 90 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria (of 29 May 2018, amended and supplemented on 2 October 2020) concerning the activities of Bulgarian schools abroad; our School acts in full compliance with the regulations of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education

The Bulgarian School Skylark is included in the Register of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science (under No. 27) and its work is overseen by the ministry; the School gets some financial support from the Bulgarian ministry for its activities

Dear children!

We want to assure you that in our School you will not only well learn Bulgarian language but will also get to know the history and the natural beauties of Bulgaria, and will have every opportunity to plunge into the magnificent cultural heritage of the Bulgarian people. At the same time you will surely make new friends, and with them you will spend wonderful time

About the School

Classes take place at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School.

Address: Selborne Rd, Croydon CR0 5JQ

Bulgarian folk dances classes with the students of the School in Caterham and with their parents used to take place in the big hall of the Methodist church in Hurst Green, Oxted4 Hurstlands, Oxted, RH8 0HG, UK, and the clasess in Bulgarian culture, traditions and customs with the students in Croydon used to take place in one of the largest classrooms in the High School "Archbishop Tenison's. For the 2022-2023 school year, we will give additional information about these extracurricular activities

Please note!

Since October 2020, all dance classes have been cancelled because of the pandemic. In the new 2022-2023 school year they are run within the Rodinoznanie classes.

Starting 2018-2019 academic year, the School opened a second branch in Caterham where we have classes in the classrooms of Hillcroft Primary School, address: Chaldon Road, Caterham, CR3 5PG

Starting 2021-2022 school year, Chuchuliga School organised classes for 1st and 2ns year students at the classrooms of OfficeTribe in Royal Tunbridge Wells and now in the new 2022-2023 we have more than 20 children studying there. The facilities are located at the very centre of the town at 8a London Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1DA OfficeTribe.

Teaching

Teaching at the Bulgarian School Chuchuliga (Skylark) is done in accordance with the requirements of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science while following the official curriculum and syllabuses in the school subjects of Bulgarian language and literature, Bulgarian Culture, History of Bulgaria, and Geography of Bulgaria. We run classes for children and students from pre-school to primary to secondary and up to high school age.

For those children who don’t speak English we organise special English classes, and for those who don’t speak Bulgarian, we also offer special Bulgarian classes. In addition, we organise classes in English or Bulgarian languages for adults, too, and the teaching in this case is organised as private tutoring. For more details please write to us or call us.

Please note: we organise Bulgarian language teaching for the children that do not speak the language; the groups function as a separate class and they have lessons in the afternoon on one of the weekdays after the children's regular classes in their English schools. For more details about the groups, please contact us.

Teaching Weeks

The Bulgarian School Chuchuliga follows both the Bulgarian and the English school year: according to the Bulgarian school system, we have two school terms (not three), the first starting in September and finishing in end-January, and the second starting in February and finishing in end-May or in June (depending on the school age of the students); and according to the English school system, our School observes all school breaks as they are defined for the schools in England between the three school terms.

First Term

Second Term

Teaching subjects

Pre-school and Primary school

• Bulgarian language and Bulgarian literature
• Bulgarian Culture (as an additional teaching activity)
• People in Society (as an additional teaching activity)

Secondary school

• Bulgarian language and Bulgarian literature
• History and Civilisations
• Geography and Economics

School Curriculum
(Only in Bulgarian language)

Syllabuses (Only in Bulgarian language)

School Life

Chuchuliga’s school life is interesting, it includes various school activities. Learning is pleasant and is always accompanied by games and free activities. During the breaks between classes we always organise different games and activities in the school yard, weather permitted, or in the classroom; the students can also have their snacks during the breaks.

Celebration of the Day of Bulgarian Enlighteners with the children of the pre-school and 1st and 2nd grades

Chuchuliga's Christmas celebration

In class

Teaching Staff

The School is headed by an experienced teacher and is run by several subject teachers, and its work is also observed and supported by a Parents’ Council.

Neli Kozhuharova is the founder and the head of the School.

She has had a rich 28-year-long teaching experience in all educational grades of the education system of Bulgaria, from kindergarten and pre-school to primary and secondary; she has had a substantial amount of experience in the system of higher education as well, both at national and international level, as a teacher of Bulgarian language and Bulgarian history in Bulgarian schools and at the Russian Christian University of St John the Theologian in Moscow (2003-2007). Nelli is the author of the book “And his Kingdom was well blessed”, dedicated to the celebration of 1,100 years of the death of the Bulgarian king St Boris the First; she is also the author of articles and other research in Middle Ages and Contemporary Bulgarian history.

Valentin Kozhuharov

Zory Burner

School Management

The School's work and activities are managed on two levels: by the company that established the School (registered with Companies House) and by School administrators and representatives of the Parents' Council. The Company oversees the overall work and activities of the School, whereas the administrators and the Parents' Council oversee specific School activities.

The School business administrator is Mr Valentin Kozhuharov, members of the Recruitment Committee are the School's headteacher, the Parents' Council president and the business administrator. All School staff have valid enhanced DBS, and the School helps newly recruited to obtain enhanced DBS, too. The responsible person for this procedure is the School business administrator.

The Bulgarian School Skylark meets the requirements for safe work in education in England by complying with all regulations, prescriptions and recommendations relating to Safeguarding Children and Adults in Education. Mr Valentin Kozhuharov is the Designated Safeguarding Lead of the School, and the governor for the School's Safeguarding policies is the president of the Parents' Council.

Parents' Council

According to the regulations set out by Order No 90/29.05.2018 of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers as they apply to all Bulgarian schools abroad, since the first opening day of our school in the autumn of 2016 we have elected a Parents’ Council (PC) who supports the School’s activities. The Order clearly defines what the Council’s responsibilities are:

1. To monitor the School’s activities, including the lawful and appropriate spending of its funds;

2. To discus and offer suggestions as to how any current problems and issues be most appropriately dealt with;

3. To give any help in educating the School’s students and to encourage all parents to take part in the extra-curriculum activities with the aim of preserving Bulgarian national awareness, culture and traditions (article 10, paragraph 5 of the Order)

Paragraphs 7 and 8 of article 5 indicate that the Parents’ Council prepares an annual report on the performance of the School. The report is sent to the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, a copy is sent also to the Bulgarian Embassy in the corresponding state; the report can be sent on paper and/or in electronic format by the 30th July each year.

The Parents’ Council of the Bulgarian School Skylark includes the following parents:

1. Mrs Svetoslava Gospodinova – head of the PC (mother of a student Year 10)

2. Mr Kostadin Iliev – member of the PC (father of two students in Year 1 and Year 6)

3. Mrs Borislava Takova – member of the PC (mother of a student Year 7)

4. Mrs Krasimira Dimitrova – member of the PC (mother of a student Year 6)

Extracurricular Activities

Music

These include acquaintance with samples of Bulgarian folk music, adapted for children, contemporary music and drama works for children and popular Bulgarian songs. Music lessons aim to present to children some examples of Bulgarian music art while forming abilities in performing them and encouraging children to create their own samples of music art.

Bulgarian Dances, Creative and Applied Arts

Our School offers free arts’ activities where children create their own art works by using coloured paper, textile pieces, woollen and other type of thread, wood, etc. They try to make different items used at home, national art embroidery, parts of Bulgarian folk costumes and elements of traditional and contemporary costumes interwoven in the same dress or costume.

For those interested, our School offers dance classes according to specifically adapted choreography programmes on Bulgarian folk dance performances. Unfortunately, for the school year 2020-2021 the dance classes were cancelled due to the coronavirus quarantine in London, and the same situation remained for the school year 2021-2022 but these classes were resumed in Croydon as part of the Bulgarian culture lessons. The folk dance classes in 2022-2023 school year will again be held as a separate extracurricular activity!

The extracurricular lessons on Bulgarian culture, traditions and customes continue as normal

School Fee

Our School is supported by the parents’ contribution for their children’s education which for one school year is £260 for one child or £200 for a second, third, etc. child of the same family. The fee is to be paid at the beginning of the school year and it can be paid in two installments: the first in September and the second in February.

Parents' fees for students who manage to cover the teaching requirements of two school years in only one year is by 50% higher than the regular fee.

Please pay the school fees into Barclays PLC, IBAN: BG64BUKB 204545 636121 39, SWIFTBIC: BUKBGB22, sort code: 20-45-45, account No: 63612139, name: Bulgarian School Chuchuliga Limited. For reference, please use the name and surname of the child.

Please pay the fees within one week after you have received the invoice from us, this is usually done twice a year for the two terms: in end-September and beginning of February!