German Exchange Visit 2024

Last week students from Schiller-Gymnasium in Hameln, Germany visited Sheldon as part of our cultural exchange partnership that has existed forcover 40 years. We last visited Schiller-Gymnasium in June and were very pleased to see familiar faces and make new friends during their day at Sheldon.

Our guests were met with typical British rainy weather, but that didn't stop the everyone from having a wonderful time. Over 45 Sheldon students spent the day with their German partners so that they could get a chance to learn more about what life is like for British students. They participated in a drama lesson in the school hall, followed by lunch in the Refectory. In the afternoon, we shared the great British love of quizzing with a pub quiz organised by Mrs Williams to test the teams on their general knowledge of British and German facts. The students then paired up and attended classes so that the Germans could see a typical British lesson. After school they all headed out for a scavenger hunt around Chippenham, taking in the sights and learning some of the history of our town. The finished the visit up with a huge spread in the Diner before boarding their coach to head home to Hameln.

We'd like to thank Schiller-Gymnasium for coming to visit us, as well as all of our language students for being welcoming hosts! Thank you to all of our MFL faculty for organising such a fantastic visit, especially Mrs Shapcott for organising the trip to Hameln in June. This trip was made possible with funding from the UK-German Connection, a bilateral government initiative dedicated to improving contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and Germany.

Our partner school, Schiller-Gymnasium will return next autumn for more adventures with Sheldon students. We are currently planning a trip to Germany next summer. Details will follow soon, though we will not be able to visit Hameln this year as the youth hostel we normally stay at is being refurbished.