Over the half term break, Modern Foreign Languages pupils from Years 9 and 10 headed across Europe to visit the capital of Spain, Madrid. Accompanied by pupils from Cranford House, the trip provided the ideal opportunity for pupils to hear and use the language they have been learning in the classroom in real life situations. Thank you to Spanish teacher Mr Yona Diez-Urkidi for the following report of a successful trip:
‘The half term trip to Spain is a hotly anticipated event in the Language calendar. In previous years, the department trip has been to the thriving metropolitan city of Barcelona. However, this year we decided to visit the capital city of Madrid, which is steeped in history and culture. The trip was an absolute success. We joined forces with Cranford House for the four-day trip, allowing the pupils to forge new friendships. During the short visit, the boys got to experience Spain at a very authentic Spanish hotel in the heart of Madrid.
The days were packed with excursions; pupils had the opportunity to see the old centre of Madrid, where the Royal Palace is now, and saw a large number of the significant monuments of the city. We visited the Museo Reina Sofía. The museum, named for the Queen Sofía, is mainly dedicated to Spanish art, and is currently home to Picasso’s painting Guernica. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Real Madrid stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu. The boys were able to go enjoy a tour of the inside of the stadium, going into the changing rooms, sitting on the players’ bench by the side of the pitch, and seeing all of the main European Cups which have been won by Real Madrid. The day trip to visit the city of Toledo was another big hit with the group. They have a great day doing a treasure hunt around the historic city, which had been organised and conducted by Year 13 student Maddy McNerney. I would like to say a big thank you to all the pupils on this trip who behaved impeccably; to Cranford House pupils and staff who made the trip so enjoyable; and to fellow Shiplake staff who helped to make this trip possible.’
