Here is the latest in our series written by our pupils who have returned from spending a year abroad. Here, Soledad (3ºESO) tells us all about her time near Bath, in the south of England.
Last year I went to study abroad. I went to the United Kingdom, to the south of England. It was a school called Warminster, in the town of the same name, near the city of Bath. I lived in the school, as a boarder.
The school was really big; all the different subjects, dining halls, boarding houses and speech rooms had their own entire building with many classrooms in some cases. There were five boarding houses: two for older boys, one for younger boys, one for older girls and one for younger girls. I lived in the one for the younger girls but I was one of the oldest in the house.
On school days we woke up at 7am, got dressed into our uniforms and walked to the dining hall to have breakfast. Then we came back, packed our bags and went to school. We got registered and sent to lessons. We had one lesson and a break, two lessons after and then lunch break from 1pm to 2.15pm. Then we got registered again and had two more lessons with a break in the middle before finishing school at 5 o'clock. When we got back to the house we got changed into normal clothes, which we called 'mufti', and went to have supper. Then we came back, got registered again, and had to do homework, which we called 'prep', and had free time that we normally used to cook or watch movies. We went to sleep at half past nine.
On weekends, we woke up at 8am on Saturdays, did prep and played sport matches against other schools, and then went to town to buy things and hang out in the different shops. It was small but we enjoyed town. Then we had a free evening. We didn't have a fixed bedtime. On Sundays we woke up at 9am, went to church and had lunch. Then we usually had trips, for example to the cinema, and a free evening again.
I really liked my year there because I made a lot of friends and got very good grades too. The food was great as well. The lessons were different and I liked them a lot. Also, boarding was great, it was like a pyjama party every day! The only thing I didn't like was coming to Spain so often because I don't enjoy packing suitcases and bags!
Friday 28 October 2016
Wednesday 19 October 2016
Debating Society audio
In this week's Debating Society (1º bachillerato) four pupils debated whether social media networks promote diversity or not. It was probably the highest quality debate held to date, both from a debater and an audience point of view. Well done to Marta, Juan, Eva and Laura! Listen to a sample of the debate here:
Listen to the sum-up speeches on Soundcloud.com
Listen to the sum-up speeches on Soundcloud.com
Sunday 16 October 2016
A year in Scotland
Here is the second account of a pupil returning to our school from a year spent living abroad, this time from Pablo (3º ESO).
My story begins on the 4th August 2015 at 2pm, when I realised I was going to live in another country, Scotland (Glasgow to be exact), for a year.
I had that kind of sensation that you have when you don't know how it's going to be, if you can do it, and if you are going to like the place. I had to take two planes, one to London and another one to Glasgow, and then a taxi to my new house. My first view of Glasgow was good. For one day we had no rain, but then the next few days were different in many ways. It started raining every day. And it stopped for an hour and then it could rain again or be cloudy, or even snow. They called it four seasons in one day.
But let's focus. After two weeks I started school with my brother. It was really different from Spain! First, you had to move from one class to another instead of waiting for the teacher in one class. Next, the way of teaching was really different. The teachers interacted so much with the pupils. And they prepared so many things for the students to do, like class projects, games or even contests.
I have to admit that the first day was probably the worst one. You are new in a school where you don't know everyone (probably no one). In Scotland you don't have the same name for the school years as in Spain. For example 1ºESO is called S1, which means Secondary 1. It goes from S1 to S6, but when you pass to S5 and S6 they call it Senior 5 or 6. Apart from that everything is the same at school.
Back to normal life, my family and I moved into a bigger house one month later. Now and then we visited the city centre and its shops and museums. One of the most famous museums is the Kelvingrove Museum, near the university. It has so many art works, sculptures, fossils and animals - there's a wide variety of things.
In school you had a subject called drama, which is basically theatre. You had to act like a real actor, in different situations and places. It was really fun! Also you could choose different subjects at the end of S2, which was quite good.
One of my last experiences at school was when, at the end of the year, we went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a theme park in the north of England. We went for the whole day and I really enjoyed it! That was one of my last days at school, but on my last day there was an assembly at the school church where diplomas were given to people if they had made an effort and they had got good marks.
Sometimes I miss that school. But after that I visited Scotland, from the west to the east, and it was good. You got to know a different culture, place, cities, people, history and friends. So my journey ended on the 1st August 2016, when I had to go back to Madrid. That's when you notice that a year has passed and you have lived a new experience and you have changed.
My story begins on the 4th August 2015 at 2pm, when I realised I was going to live in another country, Scotland (Glasgow to be exact), for a year.
I had that kind of sensation that you have when you don't know how it's going to be, if you can do it, and if you are going to like the place. I had to take two planes, one to London and another one to Glasgow, and then a taxi to my new house. My first view of Glasgow was good. For one day we had no rain, but then the next few days were different in many ways. It started raining every day. And it stopped for an hour and then it could rain again or be cloudy, or even snow. They called it four seasons in one day.
But let's focus. After two weeks I started school with my brother. It was really different from Spain! First, you had to move from one class to another instead of waiting for the teacher in one class. Next, the way of teaching was really different. The teachers interacted so much with the pupils. And they prepared so many things for the students to do, like class projects, games or even contests.
I have to admit that the first day was probably the worst one. You are new in a school where you don't know everyone (probably no one). In Scotland you don't have the same name for the school years as in Spain. For example 1ºESO is called S1, which means Secondary 1. It goes from S1 to S6, but when you pass to S5 and S6 they call it Senior 5 or 6. Apart from that everything is the same at school.
Back to normal life, my family and I moved into a bigger house one month later. Now and then we visited the city centre and its shops and museums. One of the most famous museums is the Kelvingrove Museum, near the university. It has so many art works, sculptures, fossils and animals - there's a wide variety of things.
In school you had a subject called drama, which is basically theatre. You had to act like a real actor, in different situations and places. It was really fun! Also you could choose different subjects at the end of S2, which was quite good.
One of my last experiences at school was when, at the end of the year, we went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a theme park in the north of England. We went for the whole day and I really enjoyed it! That was one of my last days at school, but on my last day there was an assembly at the school church where diplomas were given to people if they had made an effort and they had got good marks.
Sometimes I miss that school. But after that I visited Scotland, from the west to the east, and it was good. You got to know a different culture, place, cities, people, history and friends. So my journey ended on the 1st August 2016, when I had to go back to Madrid. That's when you notice that a year has passed and you have lived a new experience and you have changed.
Monday 10 October 2016
European Union "Crash Course"
How are EU laws made?
Is the Interrail train pass going to be free?
Will Brexit really happen?
How does a country join the EU?
These were some of the questions posed by our pupils at the start of today's "EU Crash Course", which they were able to answer by the end. The morning-long workshop was kindly provided by the European Youth Parliament España. If you recognise the name of this organisation then it's because our school participated in their Madrid debate session at the beginning of the year.
Every year over 30,000 pupils from 4ºESO or 1ºBach (or their equivalents in other countries) take part in these debates, but this event was different. Two of their young volunteers, Clara and Laura, came to help our students learn about the EU in a fun and educational way, through a variety of group games and activities, almost all in English, conducted through the peer-to-peer method, in which students help each other learn mutually.
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| Some of our 4º ESO pupils doing a group activity to learn about the European Union. |
We started with an activity in which the pupils had to move to a different part of the room according to their opinion of different questions. For example, the first one:
Europe makes you think of...
a. a geographical continent
b. lots of cultures and languages
c. the EU
d. Events like Eurovision or the Champions League
This was a great way to break the ice and get thinking about the subject of Europe. Then, split into smaller groups, the pupils had to read into one of the key ideas connected with the EU - prosperity, peace, freedom, law and democracy - and explain their relevance to the other groups. They went on to look more in-depth at how the different institutions - the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers - interact and how we can try to influence their decisions. The pupils then tried to apply their new knowledge to construct a diagram of the legislative set-up of the EU using plastic laminates. At the end we went over the answers to some of the questions posed by the pupils earlier.
We'd like to thank Clara, Laura and the EYPE for their time and interest, and for hopefully inspiring a new wave of future EYPE participants!
Sunday 9 October 2016
Beautiful landscapes & landforms
In 3º ESO we have been studying physical geography in the English workshop. Here are some of our pupils' recommendations for places to visit where you can see beautiful landscapes and amazing landforms.
The Perito Moreno glacier (Victoria & Carlota)
It is located in southern Argentina. You can get there by plane travelling to a town called Calafate. There are many different trips but the best one is a bus trip to a port located in a natural park where you take a boat to the glacier. You put crampons on your shoes and spend the whole morning walking and taking pictures on the glacier. At the end of the trip they give whiskywith ice from the glacier to the adults.
Asturias (José Luis & Gonzalo)
Asturias is the most beautiful place in Spain, in our opinion. It is very green, with a mountain range called Picos de Europa, lots of nice beaches and high cliffs with great views. There are also big forests with a lot of vegetation, animals and dark caves, like the Tito Bustillo caves, with its prehistoric paintings. The climate is rainy and the temperature isn't as hot as in Madrid. To sum up, Asturias is a very good place to go to, with lots of landforms and a perfect temperature for the summer.
The Iguazú Waterfalls (Laura & Elena)
The Iguazú Waterfalls, in Brazil and Argentina, are the most impressive waterfalls in South America. You can see them from both countries bacause they are on the border. The trip in which you go around them is amazing because you can admire all the water falling. There is a different trip where you go on a boat under some of the waterfalls and you can see the mountains and landscape all around.
Can you recommend somewhere similarly beautiful or spectacular for us to visit? Please leave a comment if so!
The Perito Moreno glacier (Victoria & Carlota)
It is located in southern Argentina. You can get there by plane travelling to a town called Calafate. There are many different trips but the best one is a bus trip to a port located in a natural park where you take a boat to the glacier. You put crampons on your shoes and spend the whole morning walking and taking pictures on the glacier. At the end of the trip they give whiskywith ice from the glacier to the adults.
Asturias (José Luis & Gonzalo)
Asturias is the most beautiful place in Spain, in our opinion. It is very green, with a mountain range called Picos de Europa, lots of nice beaches and high cliffs with great views. There are also big forests with a lot of vegetation, animals and dark caves, like the Tito Bustillo caves, with its prehistoric paintings. The climate is rainy and the temperature isn't as hot as in Madrid. To sum up, Asturias is a very good place to go to, with lots of landforms and a perfect temperature for the summer.
The Iguazú Waterfalls (Laura & Elena)
The Iguazú Waterfalls, in Brazil and Argentina, are the most impressive waterfalls in South America. You can see them from both countries bacause they are on the border. The trip in which you go around them is amazing because you can admire all the water falling. There is a different trip where you go on a boat under some of the waterfalls and you can see the mountains and landscape all around.
Can you recommend somewhere similarly beautiful or spectacular for us to visit? Please leave a comment if so!
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