In the afternoon of October 12^th, a group of 22 excited but nervous French students arrived in a rather rainy Marlow ready to meet their Borlase exchange partners for the French exchange.

After meeting with their partners and spending the weekend with them – a chance to experience life in Britain and to practise their English – they all met on Monday morning, once again in the rain, ready for a trip to the Natural History and Science Museums in London. This was followed by another trip to London on Tuesday, this time to take in a production at the Globe theatre and to wander around Borough market, which they very much enjoyed.

Wednesday was the joint trip, with our students joining their French partners on a visit to Kensington Palace followed by a cruise down the Thames. We were lucky that the sun was shining and so we were able to make the most of the Palace gardens before venturing inside to experience the King and Queen’s chambers amongst other rooms. After a pleasant lunch in the gardens (despite a swarm of ladybirds!), we set off on foot to the river for our boat ride: quite a long walk but made easier due to the sunshine.

Glad to sit down and enjoy the autumn sun after the long walk, the French and British students thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride and learnt a lot about the sites along the banks of the Thames thanks to the excellent guide and his repertoire of jokes. Luckily, the sun was still shining when we disembarked which gave us an excellent opportunity for a group photo in front of the London Eye before getting back on the bus. It was lovely to hear the students chatting to each other in both English and French on the way home.

After their day of sightseeing, the French students returned to their host family to practise their English and prepare for a day in Oxford on Thursday followed by the morning at Borlase on Friday. They were naturally apprehensive about attending lessons with their exchange partners but threw themselves into the experience.

Sadly, this part of the exchange had come to an end and the Borlase students had to say goodbye to their French partners. However, they will be seeing them again in November when we go to Marly-le-Roi for the return visit and for our students to experience French culture and for the opportunity to practise their French language skills.

A big thank you to all of the families and teachers who hosted. I know that the French group very much appreciated it and thoroughly enjoyed their time here.