A group of 16 students from years 10, 12 and 13 have just returned from a very successful first leg of the Spanish exchange. We were extremely lucky with the weather, not a cloud in the sky and it rarely dipped below 23 degrees. The exchange is collaboration with the High School for Girls, Denmark Road and we exchange with two schools in Spain, IES Infanta Elena, Galapagar and IES Colmenarejo.

Throughout the trip we were very impressed with the level and the accuracy of the Spanish spoken by STRS students in the museums of Madrid and around. Highlights of the trip included the visit to the Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, the world famous Prado Museum and the El Escorial monastery. Our students impressed their guides with their knowledge of Spanish and the interest and respect they demonstrated whilst on guided tours. We are now looking forward to the visit of our Spanish partners in November and hope they enjoy their stay as much as we enjoyed ours.