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Spanish Exchange

During the October half-term, ten Y11 and five Y13 pupils accompanied by two members of staff spent a week in San Sebastián as part of our first Spanish exchange programme with Axular Lizeoa. Our stay was a complete success according to the enthusiastic accounts from our pupils and their Basque host families.

We had a couple of very rainy days on our arrival but we followed what the Spanish say: a mal tiempo, buena cara. However, towards the end of our stay we enjoyed summery weather of up to 30 degrees!

spanish exchange

Our English party was introduced to the fascinating multilingual environment of an Ikastola where Basque is the main language of teaching but Spanish, English and French also feature prominently on the timetable and during activity weeks. Pupils visited El Peine del Viento by Eduardo Chillida, the Science Museum and the Planetarium as well as the new venue of the University of Navarra for Biomedical Engineering, one of the pioneers in Spain. And, of course, we could not have left this astounding region without visiting the famous Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. All had the opportunity to enjoy the gastronomic delights of the Basque Country.

spanish exchange

Pupils were also taken to Atano III, one of the most important frontón in the region and they soon learnt the basics of this popular sport called pelota and they challenged their Spanish counterparts.

spanish exchange

Due to the cross curricular dimension of the exchange, Y11 pupils made some presentations on the environment and Y13 pupils discussed the carbon footprint of our school. These were impressive and they were all carried out in excellent Spanish. Pupils got plenty of opportunities to practise their Spanish with their exchange partners and families too.

We believe that this new exchange has been given a flying start and many will keep fond memories of their first time in the Spanish Basque country.

We now look forward to welcoming the Spanish party for the second leg of the exchange at the end of March.   IUG

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