Students enjoy a ‘deep dive’ into the cultural richness of student life in Madrid, Spain

Southborough High School – in conjunction with Tolworth Girls School – has been running a highly successful annual residential exchange programme with Colegios el Valle for well over a decade now -and each year, the trip just gets more and more enjoyable!

Open to Year 9 -13 students in the school, the six day trip provides a wonderful ‘up close and personal’ dive into the rich cultural lives of similar aged school aged students living in Madrid, giving our boys the opportunity to visit Spanish landmarks, eat traditional Spanish food – and even learn to dance the Flamenco!

Towards the end of October, 19 students and two members of staff – namely Spanish Teacher Ms Correa and Pastoral Officer Mrs Clements  - set out very early in the morning to Gatwick, where they met up with students and staff from Tolworth Girls School. On arrival at the Colegios el Valle, our host families warmly welcomed our students into their lives and homes for the duration of the stay. Nothing, of course, had been left to chance. Staff had painstakingly spent time beforehand matching the interests and personalities of our boys with that of children from the Spanish school. Students were then encouraged to write/Face Time their hosts leading up to the visit, so that once they finally met, they were already great friends! And it was clear that the planning behind this worked, because our students clearly bonded very well with their ‘exchange buddies’ and their respective families brilliantly, making for an excellent and enjoyable stay!

After spending the first night at their host family homes, the students gathered at school early the next morning to enjoy a visit to Parque “El Retiro” -an iconic park in Madrid   - where the students enjoyed a walk around the stunning gardens and a little boating on the lake before indulging in a mid-morning treat of ‘Churros con chocolate’.

In the afternoon, students were thrilled to visit Real Madrid’s football stadium., taking in the sheer size and splendour of a stadium that many had only ever seen on the TV.

 The trip also included a couple of cultural visits to the Palacio de Aranjuez –an hour’s coach ride outside of Madrid – and The Palacio Real, situated in the centre of Madrid. Students were able to experience a piece of Spanish history, admire the architecture and art and look into the lives of the Spanish monarchs.

But it wouldn’t have been a proper Spanish trip if not for the Flamenco Dancing workshop, which our boys threw themselves into and had an absolute ball!

We’d like to say a big thank you to all the staff and families of Colegios ‘El Valle’ for their warm and welcoming hospitality, to Mr Johnson for organising the trip and to Ms Correa and Mrs Clements for accompanying our boys on this highly enjoyable visit. Our students got the chance to experience a different culture, language and way of life – all special memories that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.