Pupils recently welcomed our 20th German Exchange to Pocklington School, 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 when we return to Germany for an equally exciting week!

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.”

To view a Flickr album of the exchange, please click here.