German Exchange

A group of GCSE German students spent a long weekend in Berlin staying with the host families of their exchange partners.

Year 10 pupils were paired with boys and girls from our partner school, the Goethe Oberschule in Berlin, and have been corresponding with them over the past few months. They were greeted at the airport with welcome banners and signs, before enjoying 4 days exploring the capital, joining language lessons and getting immersed in local culture.

Highlights included a group BBQ evening at the school, where pupils had fun playing games with their exchange partners and friends. Others took part in neighbourhood street fairs, learned about different types of German bread, and paid an emotional visit to the open-air memorial site at Bernauer Strasse, seeing photos of those who died trying to flee from East to West Berlin. Pupils also went on a cruise on the River Spree and visited key historical sites, including the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial and Berlin Cathedral. They look forward to welcoming their exchange partners to London in the autumn term.

Younger German students, in Years 7 and 8, also had the opportunity to put their language learning into practice this term, with a trip to the Café Kipferl in Islington. The group ordered authentic Schnitzel, Spaetzle, Strudel and Sachertorte, whilst chatting to the Austrian staff – another wonderful way for students to try out their linguistic skills.