The history of the school

 

ZMG

 

The number of educators is around 45. There are always a few people absent for different reasons or having a part time job. However, this kind of human resources management doesn’t cause any problems.It is ensured that in a certain group, the given subject is thaught by the same teacher. The school owns a certain power of keeping his employees. As a result the staff , exepting one or two colleagues, works in the same spirit, paying attention to each other and asking for each others opinion. Giving a hand in something natural, and working for the student’s sake is being regarded as the main stage of activity. There are usually lively professional debates between the colleagues, but these are always fair and with a good intention. The members of the staff are specifically interested in continuing professional education. They participate at extension courses in an organised way and many people do self- teaching. There is a bigger interest in professional methodology, rather than for topics with pedagogical content. We achieved positive experiences on the field of organizing local accredited courses. We find the implementation of this kind of courses easier, for several reasons, like advantages on professional and methodology field, labour organisation and financing. The school management takes it for a very important task to help the staff to suit the challenges of society and to help them to continuously develop their teching methods. There are four teams in our school: head teachers, humanics, foreign languages and sciences. Every colleague is a member of at least one team. These professional groups are active participants of preparing different decisions and working up attitudes on school level. Exchanging information on professional, methodological and pedagogical level happens on a usual basis. The interest in each other’ s work, open- mindedness and cooperation are getting stronger. It is a well- tried practice that team leaders contribute to a quick and authentic flow of information and as members of the school management to take valid decisions. The number of students is between 500-600. Regarding the abilities, interests and the preparedness of the students, their profile is quite composite. Many students live in one- parent- families under very difficult financial circumstances. A general problem is the appearance of the signs of moral crisis in the attitude of life, the inability to handle their own feelings (or which is more problematic the lack of feelings) and the weaknesses of their will. The manifestation of these problems within the school context includes the absence of knowledge and the prestige of education, problems of self- knowledge and evaluation, indifference towards gaining cognition or organized learning, as well as lack of motivation and insensitivity. The outstanding or severe disciplinary problems are rare, however, there are no too many results in our effort to hold back the lot of absences and the smoking. Of course there is a certain dropout (mainly in the 10th and 13th forms) and unfortunately we have a number of students who don’t meet the requirements at the end of the first semester above the average level. It can be noticed as well that the number of students who succeed in entering the universities shows an increasing trend. This can’t be definitely read through the last statistics, because many students stay at our school after the A- level exams and study for a qualification at our secondary vocational classes, starting the university studies with a job. The representative part of our students starts his studies in higher education two or three years after school graduation. Most students like coming to school and they also like extra curricular programmes, entertainments and trips offered by the school. Our celebration programs are memorable, the students’ performances are of high standards and there is a cultivated and elevated atmosphere. The extra curricular activities on the fields of specialist clubs, enhancing general knowledge, are not really used. The stream of information between teachers and students is mainly provided by the student’s journals on ocasionally basis, the school radio and the internet site, but we find dialogs to be the most effective way of communication. The student’s board is functioning more consciously. We regarded the enhancing on this field as a primary task. It is unthinkable to have a schoolyear without student’s meeting, student’s camp and the Zrínyi week, dedicated to Miklós Zrínyi, where we organize a competition in sports, language day and different projects having a certain topic. The parent’s board composed of the students’ parents is both a participative and representative forum. The school organises for the parents regular parents’ evenings, and ocasional meetings on demand. The parents’s evenings include yearly two meetings and three consultations. Of course our teachers provide on pre- arrangement information and help for parents. On demand of a parent, head teacher, teacher or student, we hold an extraordinary meeting with the participation of the involved parts, to find solutions for concrete conflicts. We help parents to find their way and to take part in education by our programs organized on topics that raise interest. The school tries to present itself together with its environment before the applications for admission, while meeting a part of its future students. The forms of this kind of marketing are leaflets, meeting the parents of primary school children, preparatory courses for the 8th form students, days of the open door for primary school children and their parents. At the applications for admission we take into account the primary school report. There is a possibility to enrole and to leave the school also during the school year. In these cases the procedures set by the law have to be followed. If a student didn’t study a subject that is taught at our grammar school, he/she would do an exam that covers all the material taught before. This exam will be done after a preparation period by arrangement. The main goals of institutional education have been set according to the challenges of society, emphasizing the importance of languages and information technology. At school at each level we have a class with a five year education ( 0 year of English preparatory) and 3 classes with a four year education. The English preparatory year was started in schoolyear 2004/2005. We have 2 post A- level classes one in tourism administration and the other is software technician, where our students can achieve a valuable knowledge for the labour market. Most of the students who study here got their A- levels at our secondary grammar school. The qualifications provided by our school: English preparatory year- after finishing it, students learn the language on advanced level Humanities group- students learn humanities subjects in a higher number per week, Latin is compulsory, and they also study history of arts. General education group- German language is compulsory Public safety group- students are made familiar with the basics of police work and study their peculiarities with the help of the Budapest Police. They are taught self defence during their four years’ study, and 4 hours a week English from beginner level. Tourism class: achieving the basic knowledge in tourism and catering, having 4 hours a week Englishor German from beginner level. IT – computer studies class: besides the advanced professional education, two special subjects are Maths and Physics. English is the compulsory language. In the ninth form, they study library applications within IT. Students have the possibility to take a professional exam after graduation in front of a comission at our school. The education in these classes isn’t a truly vocational one, but students are aquainted besides the normal educational curriculum with the basics of certain professions, that facilitate their future professional career and job opportunities. During the vocational training we give a permanent consideration to the requirements of both labour market and higher education. After finishing the tenth class, students can continue their specialization by preparing for the two types of matura, or they can choose from other subjects. Studying two foreign languages is compulsory at our school. Eligible languages are English, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish and Russian (in case of enough requests). These languages are taught on grade levels and as possible in homogenous groups. Foreign languages, Maths and IT are taught in divided groups. The education of Arts is an integrated part of school education. The student’s performances linked with subjects like drawing and music reached a high level and there are more and more students who choose these subjects for graduation. We also have to mention about the school’s sport life: students can choose between football, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton and tourism. The X district made us possible to use the Újhegyi indoor swimming- pool. The students who have been advised to do medical PE, can do it indoors, at school. Two other important extra curricular activities are : Our school became an ECDL examination centre in 2003 and offers our students the possibility to achieve the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) also preparing for the exams. The school helps the students to get their driving license, organizing courses on a periodical basis with the contribution of a driving school.