CURRICULUM // MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
FRIENDSHIPS SEALED DURING BUSY GERMAN EXCHANGE
Pupils welcomed our 20th German Exchange to Pocklington School in September 2019 , and provided a whirlwind of activities to give them a taste of British life – including the weather .
The students from our partner school in Alfeld , Lower Saxony , Germany were welcomed to the school by Headmaster Toby Seth , then given a tour by our Sixth Form students – with Brexit and food being the main topics of conversation .
After a snapshot of lessons , all pupils braved the rain and enjoyed a great afternoon at Flamingo Land . Next came a day in Whitby led by Phil Donaldson , Head of Academic Administration . This included a tour of the Abbey , the whale bones - and as no trip to the seaside is complete without fish and chips , our annual visit to Robertson ’ s Fish and Chips Restaurant .
After another snapshot of lessons back at school , our German friends embarked upon an adventurous afternoon at Allerthorpe Lake with Modern Languages teacher Wendy Wright , to do battle with a giant inflatable assault course and some paddle boards . Pupils did get wet again but at least it wasn ’ t due to the weather !
No trip to the area is complete without a meander around York , and modern languages teacher Catherine Baines guided them to the Minster ( with help from Former Pocklington School modern languages teacher , Steve Nesom ), Bettys and The Shambles . Then it was time for our visitors to enjoy an English weekend with their hosts , which included a bowling trip when it was a pleasure to see all pupils integrating and making friends for life .
All too soon it was time to wave our German friends goodbye … but only until February .
Modern Languages teacher and Leader of German Louise Clarke said : “ It was an honour to lead the 20th German exchange and a pleasure to see our pupils broadening their cultural awareness , enriching their experience of language learning and displaying such courage , truth and trust during the week .”
She added : “ Exchanges are unfortunately a rare occurrence and our pupils are very privileged to have experienced such an unforgettable week . I would like to thank all of those involved ; I couldn ’ t have done it without their help .”
44 THE POCKLINGTONIAN