German Exchange Trip

On the 19th June, 18 KEHS and KES pupils from Years 9 and 10 set out for Hamburg in Germany to take part in a new exchange with our partner school, the Gymnasium Oldenfelde. The students and staff received a very warm welcome at the school and gained an insight into the German school system by accompanying their exchange partners to their different classes. In the afternoons there was an exciting and varied programme of excursions including a tour around the city of Hamburg, a visit to the Miniatur Wunderland, a model railway and miniature airport attraction, the largest of its kind in the world, and a harbour tour. It was fascinating to see at close range the huge container ships and docks as well as the iconic new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie. On the last Sunday afternoon, everyone enjoyed a barbecue laid on by the German parents, where they presented a project on German-British friendship in a variety of media. Students were lucky to enjoy sunshine for most of the trip, returning to Birmingham having improved their language skills considerably and learned much about German family life and culture in this unique, lively and vibrant city. Valuable friendships were forged which we hope will last for a life time. We would like to thank all the parents who supported this exchange in its first year and we are looking forward to building on its success in the future.