Pupils from Swindon’s Lawn Manor Academy rolled out the red carpet when they welcomed student visitors from Poland to their school.
In 2019, students from two schools in Lodz, south west of Warsaw, were given the opportunity to visit the UK and learn more about British life, culture and education. The Polish organisers put out a request for a visit to a British school and to sample some typical lessons as part of their trip, and Lawn Manor Academy jumped at the chance to host them.
The visit had to be postponed because of the pandemic, but this week it finally went ahead, and the 38 Polish students and six staff finally got to meet their hosts.
Will Smith, head of PHSE at Lawn Manor Academy, which is part of the Ascend Learning Trust, said the school’s pupils gave their Polish counterparts a very warm welcome.
“At Lawn Manor Academy we have several pupils who are welcome ambassadors and help look after all young people new to the school, and five of those can speak Polish, so our visitors felt immediately at home,” said Mr Smith.
“Our ambassadors took them on a tour of the school, sat with them in classes so they could observe lessons, and then took them into PE, where they could play table tennis and dodgeball.
“We also gave presentations on the history of Swindon and our own school, and then we learned about their town, Lodz, and what they do at their schools. After a music recital they had lunch with our pupils, before moving on to London.
“Their organiser, Adam Kazimierczak, said a huge thank you for what he described as a great experience, and is inviting us to visit them in the future.
“It was also an excellent experience for our pupils, meeting children with other backgrounds, learning about other cultures and ways of doing things, and getting on so well with the visitors. I’m very proud of how every pupil involved made them feel so welcome. They are a credit to our school.”
