Twenty-four French pupils visiting QE as part of their language exchange had ample opportunities to express themselves during their week-long stay – and not always with words!
The boys and girls from the Institution Saint-Pierre gave free rein to their creative side in activities that included a hip-hop workshop held just for fun, as well as an English literature and poetry class led by Head of English Robert Hyland.
Having worked up an appetite through the dance and through outdoor team-building activities, they were sent on their way on their last day with a full English breakfast, courtesy of the School canteen.
Head of Languages Helen Shephard said: “We welcomed our French visitors by providing a range of varied and enriching cultural visits and activities, and giving them a taste of QE life in which staff across the School delivered a series of fun and educational activities.
“They stayed with QE families, benefitting from language immersion, and had the chance to participate in classes with their QE correspondents, who are drawn from Years 8 and 12.
Highlights of the week at QE included visiting the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio and taking in iconic London sites.
“With bonds developed and friendships made, we now look forward to the return leg to Bourg-en-Bresse [between Lyon and Geneva, at the foot of the Jura mountains in south-east France] in June.
“Immersion in a foreign language is a key aspect of language-learning in Key Stage 3,” Dr Shephard said, explaining the importance of the exchange, which has been running since 2010.
“By the time boys become A-level linguists, they are fully conversant, and confident in their speaking, reading and writing skills.”
One prime example of this is the participation of QE sixth-formers in the Institut Français’ annual Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes national debating competition.
This year, four students (Year 13’s Edward Muscat and Colin Copcea, and Year 12’s Akira Norimura and Jun Lin) reached the Final d’Or – Gold Final – at the London heat, hosted by St Paul’s Girls’ School, after achieving high scores in the qualifying rounds.
Edward and Colin finished fourth in the Final d’Or, thus narrowly missing out on progressing to the national final held at the London headquarters of the Institut Français.
The competition involves debating complex and thought-provoking motions entirely in French.
The motion they had to support was: Centrist political parties should not collaborate with extremist political parties. With 15 minutes to prepare and no access to the internet (by phone or laptop), the boys had to rely on their knowledge of politics in the past and present. “It was certainly a pertinent topic in light of the current political climate,” said Dr Shephard.
Colin said: “This was a highly enjoyable experience, which helped us improve our spontaneity in French oracy.”
Here, although there was no repeat of the triumphs of QE’s last visit, in 2024 – when the U15s recorded the School’s first-ever overall victory in the festival and the U14s won the bowl competition – the Year 9s’ wins did include beating host team Hilversum.
“These activities strengthened team bonding and made for memorable experiences,” said Mr Di-Lieto.
The other two are choral scholarships, which go to two stars of QE’s Music department, pictured here.