A group of 15 pupils from Kirn Primary School have recently returned from a successful exchange trip to Germany.
Kirn was paired with Hardenberg Gymnasium in Fürth as a result of a long standing exchange programme that’s been in place between the German school and Dunoon Grammar, for more than 30 years.
The exchange was an opportunity to strengthen the link between the two areas, and the Kirn youngsters were partnered with German students the same age as them.
The trip, which was supported by an Instant Impact grant from UK-German Connection, was also a great opportunity to inspire younger children to pursue German when they reach secondary school.
Senior pupils from Dunoon Grammar School worked closely with the children as mentors prior to the trip, teaching them some basic vocabulary and helping them to create comic books about themselves in German. These were then shared with the two German schools that the children were visiting – Hardenberg Gymnasium and Frauenschule Fürth.
Lesley Clark from Dunoon Grammar said: “Having founded the Dunoon Grammar Exchange over 30 years ago I was delighted to be given the opportunity to develop our link with Hardenberg Gymnasium even further by involving young pupils from both schools’ feeder primaries and allowing senior pupils to be mentors. Their enthusiasm for each other’s country and language was infectious and I know the Kirn Primary pupils will be excited about picking German up again in Dunoon Grammar School . It was a wonderful experience”.
Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly said: “We want the very best start for all our children and young people. Exchange trips are a great way to do this, enabling children to broaden their horizons, build independence and learn about other cultures.
“This is a wonderful example of a successful exchange. It’s clear from the feedback that the children thoroughly benefitted from the trip, and its benefits are having an ongoing impact. I look forward to seeing how things progress in the years ahead.”
