The following visits are proposed for 2019 - 2020:

Year 7 French Day Trip to St Omer and Boulogne

On this trip pupils get the opportunity to practise some of the French they have learned in Year 7.  We begin by visiting the Auchan hypermarket in Longueness, near St Omer, which is about 30 minutes’ drive from Calais. Pupils will order their lunch in French at the Flunch restaurant in the corner of the hypermarket, before indulging in some shopping in the hypermarket itself.  We then proceed to the town of St Omer itself to visit the cathedral, a minor basilica, which is almost one thousand years old.  Next, our pupils head to an ice cream parlour to order (again, in French!) “une glace” of their choice.  To round off a long but very enjoyable day, we visit the Nausicaa sea life museum in Boulogne where the penguins, stingrays, sea lions and hammer-head sharks are particularly popular. C’est fantastique!

Years 8, 9 & 10 German Theatre Performance   

Every year, we invite the Onatti Theatre Company to visit Newlands to perform a play in either French, German or Spanish, on rotation.  In 2020 it is the turn of German, so we are looking forward to the production of “Das Schlimmste Hotel”.  This is the story of Herr and Frau Schröder who have not had a guest at their hotel for four months. Although they are delighted when a new guest arrives, their excitement turns to horror when they read in the local newspaper that an escaped criminal matching the description of their guest is on the loose!  The play is intended to be very funny.  It is performed entirely in the target language by native German speakers.

Years 10 to 13 German Exchange to Duisburg

Our German Exchange with the Gesamtschule Duisburg-Süd will take place in September 2020, with our German friends returning to Maidenhead in March 2021. This successful exchange with a mixed comprehensive school in the Ruhr area of northern Germany has taken place every year for the past sixteen years, with huge linguistic benefits. The link with our “brother” school, Desborough College, actually dates back thirty-three years!   The exchange is offered to girls and boys from both Maidenhead schools who have opted to study GCSE and/or A-Level German.  As well as a wide-ranging programme of cultural visits, students have the opportunity to practise German in real-life situations by living with a family for one week. They gain a unique insight into a German school and the lifestyle and customs of Germany.