Xaverian German languages students welcomed a group of students from various German schools in the town of Bad Pyrmont in Northern Germany. The student exchange has its origins in the mid-2000s when a few exchanges took place with German schools but, more recently, since 2015 when German Teacher, Keith Barlow, was looking for a partner school in Manchester to initiate an exchange programme. The Xaverian Languages team obliged and the exchange programme took place until the pandemic hit in 2020 and caused a temporary halt until this year.
The German students originate from a number of schools in Bad Pyrmont, including Max-Born Realschule, Gymnasium and the Hauptschule. The visit was an opportunity for both groups of students to test their linguistic abilities by speaking their target languages with native speakers and for the German students to learn more about English culture.
The visitors were also taken on a tour of the campus and were treated to a taste test in how Devonshire and Cornish scones should be served, jam on top of clotted cream, or vice versa! The consensus from the students was, they all liked the way the ‘Queen’ determined the way scones should be eaten, which is the Devonshire way, Jam first.
Ali Jacques, Curriculum Leader for Modern Foreign Languages at Xaverian, organised the programme of activities for the Manchester leg of the exchange, said: “I think the conversation between the students has to be the thing that stands out for more for me during the visit. There is no substitute for practicing speaking with a native speaker and, to be able to listen to accent, word choice, grammar use and sentence structure, is invaluable for all students to improve their language skills. I’m delighted with how the visit went and the enthusiasm and hospitality with which Xaverian students welcomed their German visitors.
Hannah Meyer, former Parrs Wood High School pupil who is studying A Levels in English Literature, German and History at Xaverian, was part of the Xaverian German A Level group that welcomed the students and paired up with Tia Zange from Max-Born Realchule for their ‘conversation’. Hannah commented: “It was a pleasure hosting the German students, and we all realised that showing them around really made us appreciate Xaverian in a different way, the weather was lovely and there was an authentic buzzy atmosphere! Everyone really enjoyed the day and the inviting weather and overall summery feeling made it easy for everyone to sit and chat, whether that was in German or English! We met up again with the group at the Trafford Centre later in the week and we are now planning a return visit later this year, which we are all looking forward to.
“I would love to potentially continue learning the language at university. The idea of a guaranteed year abroad is very appealing and I’m not sure how often an opportunity to immerse yourself in just living somewhere and taking it in really arises. I’m still thinking about my future career, but a whole new country of opportunity and potential seems quite exciting!”