So long, “adios”, and see you very soon!

Last Sunday morning there were hugs and tears aplenty as 25 King’s Upper Remove (Year 10) pupils bid “hasta luego” to their Spanish partners and their host families before leaving the Mediterranean sunshine behind and setting off home to Worcester.

They had been enjoying a week-long home-stay exchange, having been matched with those of the same age at IES Isla Verde in Algeciras, in the very south of Spain.  The programme for the week included day trips to Gibraltar, Cádiz, Tarifa and Baelo Claudia, as well as a full day in school with their partners.  During that day the King’s pupils attended an IT lesson in Spanish on Artificial Intelligence, and later completed a project with their partners, using AI to create images of themselves. While there they also experienced El Día de Todos Los Santos or All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated with market stalls selling cakes, sweets and local dry and fresh fruits.

The pupils from Algeciras will be joining us in Worcester next April, and before that visit our own pupils will be preparing videos in Spanish about their school routine as part of their Spanish course; the videos will give the Spanish pupils a good idea of what to expect when they arrive.

Mrs Shearburn, Head of Spanish at King’s, who led the trip along with ​two other members of staff, explained, “Home-stay exchanges are invaluable, in that they help pupils not only to learn about the Spanish way of life and daily routines, but also to begin to attune their ears better to spoken Spanish. There really is no better way to learn and develop skills in language than to immerse yourself in the life of the country, at the same time building long-lasting, international friendships. We can’t wait to welcome our new amigos and amigas back next April!”