As part of the exchange programmes James Gillespie’s High School has to offer, the school has an established partnership with Hallertau-Gymnasium Wolnzach. In October 2024, thirteen pupils who studied German in S3 spent a week in Bavaria as part of our first post-pandemic German exchange programme.
While in Germany the pupils took part in a collaborative, cross-curricular project with a focus on: Environment and sustainability – differences between city and rural landscape, and between Scotland and Bavaria. The theme engaged our pupils, especially as they were able to experience country living in the Hallertau region of Bavaria. Likewise, their German exchange partners were able to experience city life when they visited Edinburgh in April. The pupils worked closely as a team, which facilitated the development of lifelong connections.
The trip was supported by a grant from UK-German Connection, which enabled us to have a diverse, educational and exciting itinerary. The focus of the project encouraged collaboration, cooperation and communication between our young people in both languages. The positive impact of this visit on our pupils – culturally, academically, and personally – is undeniable.
A quote from one of our pupils to summarise their experience: “Thank you for one of the best weeks, it was an amazing experience and really enjoyable!”
Following the success of our visit, we plan to continue our newly revived and strengthened partnership between our two schools.
UK-German Connection website: https://ukgermanconnection.org/
You can find out more about the project here and view the final presentation that our pupils created here
James Gillespie's High School 