Swavesey Village College has been providing its students with the chance to visit Langeais, in the beautiful Loire Valley, for over 40 years.
Earlier this year, Swavesey Village College students visited Collège le Champs de la Motte in Langeais for seven days and their students returned to visit Swavesey Village College in Cambridge in March.
To celebrate, the College, which is part of Meridian Trust, marked this trip by gathering current students, former students and members of staff from both Swavesey Village College and Collège le Champs de la Motte to commemorate this remarkable achievement.
To honour the 40th anniversary, a logo design competition was held for all Swavesey and Langeais students. The aim was to create a unique image, representing the two schools, which will hang in both schools for many years to come (see below). The winning entry was chosen by the founders of the exchange, retired teachers; Peter Stephenson, Annie Thiou and Dominique Gahat.
Since the first trip, which took place in 1982, students in Years 9 and 10 have been visiting France every other year.
Katherine Monument, modern foreign languages teacher, has been accompanying students on the trip for the last 20 years. She said: “A foreign exchange trip is an opportunity like no other. It’s often one of the more challenging trips our students do during their time with us, but I’d argue it’s also the most valuable and rewarding!
“It requires resilience and empathy from our students, as they immerse themselves in another culture, language, routine and friendship circle.
“The experience is incredibly enriching for them with many benefits. It has a huge impact on their knowledge of the country, their confidence and spontaneity in the language, their practical language skills (especially their pronunciation) and their accent…. the list goes on!
“What makes our exchange truly unique is the incredible collaboration and longstanding friendship between our two schools; this has been, and continues to be, a remarkable relationship. The longevity and success of our ongoing exchange programme is testimony to this.”
A few months ahead of the trip itself, staff carefully match French students with students from Swavesey Village College, based on their interests and experiences and then they are then frequently in touch and get to know each other, ahead of their first meeting.
Students from Swavesey typically head out to France in October and then the return visit happens in March. While away, Swavesey students stay with their French student and their family and join them at school each morning. They then follow their own programme of activities and excursions to local points of cultural and historical importance.
Over the weekend students are en famille with their host families and get a real glimpse first hand into the culture of the country. While in the UK, French students often pay a visit to a local primary school, Cambridge, Ely and the Harry Potter Studio Tour to get a taste of British life.
One student said: “In my opinion, the French Exchange was a life changing experience. I really enjoyed being able to experience a different lifestyle in France, when we went earlier this year, and their school life. I really loved the trips around the Loire Valley especially the Château trips, as well as their return trip in England to the Harry Potter Studios.”
Dr Claire Mills, Acting Headteacher at Swavesey Village College, said: “We’re so proud to have been offering this exceptional opportunity to our pupils for the last 40 years, extending the boundaries of their learning and giving them invaluable first-hand experiences. It makes a huge difference to their confidence and language skills, and I know some of the relationships created through this programme have been incredibly long-lasting, with some former students still in touch with their foreign exchange families.
“I want to thank every member of staff who has dedicated their time to organising these trips over the years and all the families who have hosted our students and students from our partner countries throughout this time too.”
