Trips & Visits

Trips and VisiTs

Berlin

The annual History Department IGCSE trip to Berlin has, over the past ten years, become a highlight for those studying the subject in the Upper School. 2020 saw an exciting development when, for the first time, the History and Economics Departments teamed up to offer a joint trip. The two groups, totalling fifty pupils in all, shared key parts of the itinerary - visits to the German Historical Museum, the 1936 Olympic Stadium, the Holocaust Memorial and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The Economics students were also able to branch off on their own on occasion, enjoying guided visits to the BMW motorcycle factory and the Silicon Allee start-up campus. Any visit to Berlin serves to fire interest in the dark events of the twentieth century but the presence of IGCSE economists clearly added another layer of perspective and outlook that all pupils undoubtedly benefited from. Huge thanks are due to Miss Yerbury, Miss Barron, Dr Filtness and Mr Nichols for offering their services and thus making the trip possible.

The Charlotte Exchange

The Charlotte Exchange was a wonderful experience for all the participants. The students immersed themselves in the quite extraordinarily different culture of Charlotte.

During the school day they worked on their research projects which ranged from the history of Nascar to a play about an exchange visit. The group also experienced some lessons with their US counterparts; the most interesting aspect of the US system being that all work counts towards your final grade – not just your exam. The students also had special sessions provided for them including water testing in the creek which runs through the school, salsa dancing and circus skills.

They were also able to enjoy many excursions to local attractions such as the Museum of the South (looking at slavery and civil rights); the Blumenthal Theatre; the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the Nascar Hall of Fame where they drove simulator stock cars at high speeds! There was time to explore the surrounding mountain region with a visit to Chimney Rock and the Wildlife Centre – stopping on the way back for some retail therapy at an outlet mall. Downtime was enjoyed with their American host families and the welcome to the whole party was warm, generous and all-encompassing. KES participants travelled to New York to see a Broadway Show, to the coast to swim in a balmy ocean and some enjoyed the spectacle of a football game at the Carolina Panthers or a high octane grudge match between North Carolina State and Duke Universities. Needless to say there were endless opportunities to indulge in pizza, burger, fried chicken from Chiq Fil-A, ice cream, donuts, pancakes and more Halloween Candy than one can imagine.

The American counterparts visited the UK at the end of January. As well as spending time at school they enjoyed visits to Stonehenge, London and Salisbury as well as a performance of Swan Lake at The Mayflower Theatre. They spent the weekends and evenings with their host families so that they too were able to experience daily life within a different culture.

Mrs Lane

French trip to Paris

It was with some trepidation that fifty KES students, six teachers and a coach driver passed through the border controls at Folkestone on 28th October on our way to France, not yet knowing quite what the UK’s status in Europe would be by the end of the week. As it happened, our long journey from Southampton to Paris was blissfully uncomplicated and, as politics played out over the course of the week, it would turn out that the return leg was to be just as smooth!

After a couple of stops, we arrived at our hotel in Paris, or more specifically Suresnes, late that evening. Parking the coach was a little hairy and, I suspect, more fun for us than for the poor driver, but we eventually unloaded our things, settled into our rooms and sat down for dinner.

On Tuesday, the students’ day began with their first morning in lessons at the ‘France Langue’ school in the swish 16th arrondissement. Teaching focused on the grammar and themes needed for their current stage of the IGCSE course, and was delivered entirely in French by native speakers. After lunch, the group walked together to the Trocadéro, taking time to pose for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower, before crossing the Seine a couple of times and sauntering up to the Champs-Élysées. Pupils used this time to explore the most famous shops in France or the Arc de Triomphe, depending on their interests, before we reassembled for a boat trip up and down the Seine, taking in a huge number of Paris’s most famous, most beautiful sights. Most sobering of all was the building site that is the cathedral of Notre Dame, at the beginning of its restoration following the devastating fire in April, but this was more than made up for by the spectacular illumination of the Eiffel Tower, just as we sailed past. A fantastic dinner at the top of the Champs-Élysées rounded off a long day.

The next morning, lessons continued at ‘France Langue’ and were followed by free time for lunch. When we gathered again outside the school, we jumped back on the coach and made our way to the Stade de France, just north of Paris in Saint-Denis. We split into two groups for a tour of the stadium, taking in everything from the vast arena to the prison cells, via the players’ changing rooms and the Hall of Fame, featuring all the musical artists who have performed at the venue. The tour proved to be the highlight of our stay, even for those students and teachers who were unconvinced beforehand! We jumped back on board our coach for a slow drive through the north of Paris to the stunning Montmartre district, where we took in the Sacré-Coeur basilica and the artists’ quarter, not to mention the breath-taking views across the city (all well worth the literally breathtaking climb up the hill). We had dinner after our descent, before making our way back to base.

Thursday’s journey home was easy, made especially so by a stop at what we all agreed was the best service station we had ever visited. All in all, we had a brilliant time. I would like to thank my colleagues (Mr Ayers, Mr Hyder, Miss McGregor,

Ms Rieuf and Mrs Walls) and the KES students for their support, company and excellent humour throughout.

Mr Jepson

Geography trip to Osmington Bay

Osmington Bay 2019 was an eventful weekend. We visited multiple different areas along the coast on the way to our site, and learned about the formation of sand dunes and coastal erosion as well as running around on the beaches and clambering down cliffs in heavy wind and rain.

The following day, we split into two groups, one of which went to Weymouth to study the settlements and urban areas, and the other to the River Wey.

At Weymouth we studied a few different areas and filled in land use diagrams, environmental surveys and perception studies, and we also turned to the public and completed questionnaires during our free time at lunch. Whilst the weather was less than ideal, it did make our river studies the following day more straightforward as the water levels were higher.

At the River Wey, we carried out a few methods of sampling at different points of the river, collecting data for river width, river velocity and sediment size and roundness. We used this evidence to analyse how accurate the hypotheses we came up with beforehand were. We ended up knee deep in water at our penultimate point, however the last site was too deep to go in, so we used ranging poles to measure the depth as opposed to a ruler.

Having collected all of our data, and with slightly wet feet, we headed home. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative trip, even with the low pressure weather!

Rosalind Dye and Alice Kimmance

History trip to the Somme

In October, a group of forty-one Third Year historians largely escaped the rain in the UK in order to visit the Somme battlefields as part of their ongoing study of World War One. The trip allowed them to see the combat zones and trenches themselves, the ever-impressive and moving memorials and cemeteries and, on a more personal level, to pay their respects to a number of the Old Edwardians buried

and commemorated in that region. Any trip to the “shattered acres” of the First World War is a poignant and thought-provoking experience and the pupils undoubtedly had their eyes opened to the reality of the Great War, enhancing their understanding of this period of history studied in the curriculum.

Mr Diver

Hockey trip to Holland

After a very early start, we finally arrived in Calais. The onward journey, which google maps estimated at 2 ½ hours very quickly turned into 4, before we finally arrived at the youth hostel. Our first training session consisted of an exciting tournament, which was won by Mr Hyder’s team, followed by a penalty shuffle competition won by Mr Penn’s team. As the day came to an end, we ate the first of many meals of pasta and were awarded with our tour shirts before going to bed.

After breakfast the following morning, we went to the local hockey pitches to have our first proper training session. In this session we went through some short corner routines, a counter attacking scenario and an attacking 4 on 4 game in the ‘D’ before returning for lunch and then driving on to our first match, against Breda. In the ensuing matches, the U16 A team came up against a physically imposing U18 team that, despite some excellent hockey, finished in a 4-1 defeat. The B team faced a team mixed with some U14 players and won convincingly 16-0. The C team secured a 1-0 win over a young opposition team with Huw Dunlop scoring the only goal.

On day 3, we began by packing up our rooms before breakfast and another training session. As we trained we were lucky enough to meet hockey player Floris Kuipers from the Almere team in the Hoofdklasse. We all enjoyed his light hearted yet focused approach to hockey as he took us through a number of shooting and deflection drills. Afterwards, we began our onward trip to Bergen op Zoom stopping at the Hockey Republic shop in Breda en route.

After a brief turnaround at our new hostel in Bergen op Zoom we travelled to our second game of the tour. Tempo could not match the ball pace or technical ability of the A team resulting in an 8-0 KES victory whilst the B team also achieved a 6-3 win over a side that towered above them in height. The C team played

a mixed U14 and U12 Tempo team and although they a achieved a comfortable 7-0 win, their opponents played well and were quick on their feet. We ended the evening with a well-earned match tea as we reflected on our busy day.

Following an early breakfast the next morning, we headed off to Efteling theme park – an hour’s drive from our accommodation. We spent around 5 hours enjoying the rides and attractions. We also entertained ourselves by pulling each other around the theme park in small carts! After a fantastic time, we headed to our final fixture at HC Maarsen. Despite a questionable decision from the referee, the A team secured a 2-2 draw in what they knew would be a tough game. The Bs took away a 3-2 victory, coming back from being 2-1 down and ensuring an unbeaten tour, and the C team also registered a clean sweep with their final 5-0 win. In the evening, we were treated to takeaway pizzas and hot chocolate in the café before turning in for our last night away.

Mr Bassett

Netball tour to Belfast

In October, a group of girls accompanied by the KES sports staff, went to Belfast in Northern Ireland for a netball tour - it was one of the best trips that I have ever been on.

On the day we arrived, we had an exciting training session with an international Northern Ireland netball player. This got us focussed on the upcoming match against Regent House School. She gave us many tips as well as helpful feedback on our netball playing and this definitely helped us improve before the match.

In the morning of the second day we had a delicious breakfast and headed to the Titanic Museum. Here we had a self-guided tour and learned many interesting things about this incredible sunken ship. After that, we had the opportunity to walk into town, grab some lunch, and even do a bit of shopping before we played Wallace the following day. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed some downtime before a buzzing night of bowling along with a delicious buffet, dinner and drinks.

The next day, we spent a bit more time in town before we headed off to our final match against Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock. This was an exciting game, as we were all playing at our absolute best after the experience from the previous matches. Afterwards, we used up the rest of our energy by going to Lagan Valley leisure complex where we had an hour of water slide fun! Back at the hotel everyone got ready in their outfits and face paint for the Halloween party in the evening. The evening was filled with games, competitions and, of course, tasty finger food.

The following morning we packed our bags ready to get on our flight in the evening. Beforehand though we visited The Giant’s Causeway where we marvelled at the incredible views and learned more about the spectacular land formations, as well as the myth behind it. After lunch, at a restaurant overlooking the sea, we were all a bit upset that this brilliant trip couldn’t last longer! Everyone had some free time on the beach before we transferred back to Belfast City airport, to go home.

We all learned so much on this tour and we all improved in a very short space of time. The KES A Team won two of their three matches, and the B Team won one. It was such a brilliant opportunity, and was simply great fun! Many thanks to Mrs Penn, Mrs Ferrand and Miss Cole for organising the trip and making it so memorable for everyone.

Rio Gawne-Cain

Spanish trip to Salamanca

Sin habitación de hotel y sin itinerario de bote en bote, Salamanca no pareció la salida escolar usual. Sin embargo, a diferencia de en la salida escolar usual, no se puede ocultar una gramática española floja, algo de lo que me di cuenta el día en que conocimos a nuestra familia anfitriona. Entendí algunas palabras, pero no fue lo suficiente como para vivir, ¿cómo podía sobrevivir los siguientes días? Después de perderme y necesitar pedir direcciones por lo menos tres veces por día, y de conocer a otros estudiantes en las comidas de nuestra familia anfitriona cuya gramática española era tan floja como la mía, no tomó mucho tiempo antes de que me considerase capaz de hablar prácticamente con fluidez. Salamanca es un lugar genial para mejorar tu español. La gente allí o se ha aclimatado a escuchar un español malo o simplemente son muy amables. Durante el viaje, se cocina un plato español en una cocina de verdad con chefs de verdad y, aunque hace más frío que calor, Salamanca se ve hermosa en cualquier clima que haya y en todo momento. Transitar por la Plaza Mayor te revitaliza por la mañana después de que te hayas levantado temprano para asistir a cuatro horas de clase. Te revitaliza por la noche de camino a casa después de haber estado todo el día de pie gracias a la arquitectura, las luces y la energía perpetua de la España verdadera. Salamanca es un laberinto de calles empedradas llenas de restaurantes, tiendas y discotecas infinitas con sus remixes extraños de Señorita. Es la sensación incomparable de adivinar el ángulo correcto donde girar nuestra llave en la puerta de nuestro piso y oír el clic que redime,

significó que no tuvimos que despertar a nuestros padres anfitriones cuando cantó el gallo el cuarto día consecutivo, para enseñarnos cómo funciona una llave en España. Es el consuelo de McDonald’s en Madrid; El sufrimiento y el horror aleccionadores dondequiera que mires en Guernica; el jugar a las cartas mientras esperas las comidas, tanto sabrosas como desagradables; el minuto de silencio entre recibir Patatas al Minutejo y terminar las Patatas al Minutejo; el hacer nuevos amigos y luego despedirse. Salamanca y Madrid fueron sitios perfectos para estar con amigos.

Rishika Shankarnarayana

The Salamanca trip was an incredible experience and also an eye opener, as we dove straight into the raw Spanish culture and lifestyle. I loved talking to our host family and learning about their lives. We also enjoyed homemade paella and even made our own Sangria and tortilla española! Salamanca is such a beautiful city and I would love to go back again next year!

Anoushka Umranikar

This year we visited the city of Salamanca where we were able to put both our linguistic and culinary skills to the test! We learnt how to cook some traditional Spanish dishes and were particularly challenged by the flipping of our tortillas, but it was worth it in the end as they were delicious.

Leo Poller

Tile Barn

As we got on the coach, everyone was buzzing with excitement. We could not wait for the day to begin. We started with the low ropes where we helped each other with the challenges such as carrying water whilst trying to balance. Then we moved on to

problem solving. First, we worked as a team to roll a ball through a series of different guttering - it was hard at first but a good challenge. Next, we used a rope swing to try to get our team onto another platform. Then, finally, we worked together to create a number sequence where we were jumping onto certain squares.

After lunch, we all moved onto the climbing wall, where we had to work together to keep each other safe. We learnt how to control the ropes and, after a little practice, it was easy. Then we had a go at abseiling. Some of us were scared of heights but we managed to overcome our fears and reached the bottom. Overall, it was an amazing day and we all loved it. On our way back to school, we were all very tired.

Megan Barriball and Liam Goodman