This summer term, we were delighted to continue our involvement in the Language Link International Scheme, led by Haydn Royle. We welcomed five wonderful students from Valencia and Madrid, and it was especially lovely to welcome back Lucía and Mireia, who also visited us last year.
Haydn established the initiative over 20 years ago when his own children were learning Spanish at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School. Since then, the programme has provided hundreds of students with transformative cultural immersion experiences. By staying with host families across Lancashire, Spanish students have the opportunity to improve their English, experience British culture, and build lasting friendships with their UK peers.
Over the past three weeks, our host families have warmly welcomed their Spanish partners into their homes. During their stay, the students became fully involved in life at Saint Aidan’s, following their partners’ timetables, taking part in lessons, and making friends across the school community. The experience has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop new friendships, learn about different cultures, and grow in confidence.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed hosting their partners and sharing their daily lives. They were, however, more than a little envious to discover that Spanish students enjoy a two-month summer holiday and much longer lunch breaks during the school day!
Our Spanish visitors embraced every aspect of their time at Saint Aidan’s and even seemed to bring the sunshine with them. Lola and Lucía both told us they wished they could stay even longer. A special thank you goes to Katie B, one of our MFL Proctors, for organising flags and postcards on which students and staff were able to leave messages for our Spanish guests to take home as a lasting reminder of their time with us.
Although Language Link is a one-way exchange during the summer term, many of our students are already making plans to visit their Spanish partners during future holidays. We hope to welcome our visitors back to Saint Aidan’s again next year.
This marks our second year participating in the Language Link International Scheme, and we are excited to continue our involvement in the next academic year. If your child may be interested in taking part next summer, please keep an eye out for future correspondence with further details.
