Welcome to the YR9 French exchange
It was our turn this week to host the 14 French partners who hosted our Yr9 participants in their homes and school during Activities Week 1.
They arrived with their two teachers a week ago on Thursday 16th June at St Pancras International Station where our Yr 9 participants were really keen and very happy to see their French partner again.
On Friday, the French group went to London to concentrate their visit mostly on The Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. They spent the week-end enjoying activities organised for them by their host families when they had ample opportunities to practise their English.
A slight change of programme due to the first day of the train strike meant that the French students spent Monday walking along the obvious touristic sights: Trafalgar Square, White Hall, 10 Downing Street, Buckingham Palace with a picnic lunch in St James’ Park.
On Tuesday, they followed their English partners in their lessons and form time so that they could experience a “day in the life” of a British secondary school student. This ended with a tea party after school again with the purpose of presenting them with a traditional British Teatime institution, when they were greeted by Mrs Boyden, Mrs Maxwell and Mr Rees.
Today (Wednesday) we are visiting the Science Museum to enjoy a matinee show “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Despite the second day of train strike on Thursday, the exchange students will return to Lille, on a postponed Eurostar train and will be home only one hour after departure.
Many thanks to the colleagues who allowed these extra visitors in their lessons, Mrs Rogers in the Business Centre, Mrs Berry for accompanying the trip in AW1 and help welcoming them back in school, Suzie for the Tea party and Dr Sidhu for allowing this splendid exchange to take place again after 2 years of absence.
This remains a hugely enriching way for our students to gain confidence in their language acquisition as well as to discover a different culture and develop their social skills.
