Germany Trip Eve.

Staff and students are currently getting excited for the 2022 trip to Germany.

Don't forget to check your packing lists and remember to bring your Christmas spirit, maybe some snacks and a good book for the journey!

We will be leaving school tomorrow at 12:00 and should arrive in Wolfsburg at about 20:30. 

Regularly updates will appear here throughout the trip. 

On Thursday 1 December, an intrepid group of Y12 and 13 Literature students braved Northampton Station and the wilds of central London accompanied by Mr Ullmann, in full ‘airport Dad’ mode, and Mrs Coe.

The journey there and back was smooth sailing and provided opportunities for refreshments and lots of laughter.

The poetry conference itself was excellent with opportunities to speak to the actual poets who students study, buy their poetry collections and even get them signed by the poets. All three of the studied poets who discussed their poems Patience Agbabi, Vikki Feaver and Ian Duhig, were fascinating in their own unique ways.

Students and teachers alike were encouraged to spend two minutes writing an Ode to something random during a discussion of Tim Turnbull’s Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn and one of these have been included below for your enjoyment!

Today was a rather more laid back affair.

In the morning, after packing our cases and vacating the rooms, we headed out to meet the Spanish students again or to visit the local shopping centre for some last minute gift buying. We met again at the beautiful market in the centre of town where students were encouraged to try something new for lunch, a Spanish speciality. 

After lunch, students could choose to chill by the pool, shop if they hadn't already or siesta. We were all really exhausted by then. 

Then finally we were on our way home! A coach journey, flight and another coach journey later and at 1.15am on Sunday 9^th October, we all arrived safely back into the school car park.

100% of the students who completed the feedback form said they would recommend the trip and the vast majority spoke more Spanish than they expected and felt a lot more positive towards their Spanish studies now. For me, that is a huge success. But what made this trip most special, was the students themselves. They behaved so very well throughout our 5 days away and were such good company. They did themselves, their families and the school proud.

We had another very early start today as the headteacher of our partner school wanted to welcome us to Tarragona. The school is a very short walk from our hotel and is the biggest in Tarragona, but very different to ours. Our students were surprised that the Spanish students call all their teachers by their first names and that the teachers can wear whatever they like. And this goes for the headteacher, Jordí too, who greeted us in t-shirt, above ankle trackies and trainers with no socks! Imagine!

We had a guided tour of beautiful Tarragona in the morning and shortly after we set off visiting the Roman sites and the cathedral while learning about the importance of Tarragona in the region. The views from the top of the King's Castle across all of Tarragona were spectacular.

Then we set off for Sitges, another seaside town along the coast. Students had a really chilled afternoon which included a little shopping, beach football, paddling in the sea and relaxing in the sunshine.

Once again our students did us proud and our guides in Tarragona, who are also teachers, commented on how well they conducted themselves around the city. 

Star of the day today has to be Mr Colman who provided the much loved coach disco on the way back to the hotel, although his choice of music did sometimes leave much to be desired.