On Friday 19th September a group of 22 Year 8 students led by Mr Caruana and accompanied by Mrs Threlfall, Miss Wearne and Mrs Thain left lower school by coach at 7am to travel from Dover to Calais by ferry. We enjoyed a smooth crossing over the channel followed by a long journey to our destination, Nijmegen in Holland, during which, on board entertainment included the classic film ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ an opportunity to refine skills at playing DS Lite games and of course indulge in vast quantities of chocolate! At approximately 5am Dutch time we arrived safely at Kandinsky College where students were met by their host partners. The following afternoon both the Dutch and Imberhorne students experienced a visit to the Africa Museum where traditional artefacts including costumes and headwear were drawn in sketchbooks. Fantastic pencil studies were created before enjoying a guided tour amongst the outdoor exhibits of African huts. The students were greatly inspired by the decorative masks, in particular Ryan Clancy who decided to purchase a very elaborate one in the gift shop!During the evening, students boarded the ‘Dutch Pancake’ restaurant which sailed down the river allowing us to view Nijmegen by boat. A choice of toppings included chocolate sprinkles, banana, tangerine slices, pineapple, ham or cheese, served on either a sweet or savoury pancake. These proved to be a favourite Dutch delicacy. “I loved my sugar pancake. I put all the sweet toppings on...my pancake was so nice! It’s weird but you can eat pancakes with apple and bacon cooked inside.” Heloise Booth, Year 8.On Monday morning our Dutch partners cycled to school with our students in tow, one or two travelled for a good 50 minutes! Lessons involved Dutch and music followed by art taught by none other than Miss Wearne, Mrs Thain and Mr Caruana. During the afternoon, energy and stamina were required in order to compete in a series of game activities in PE. On Tuesday we travelled to Amsterdam where students visited the house of Anne Frank shortly before enjoying a relaxing canal trip followed by a fascinating experience inside the ‘Hands On’ Nemo Science Museum which provided a great opportunity for students (and staff!) to play in various activity zones. As one student described: “For me the most memorable moment was the visit to the Nemo Science Museum in Amsterdam. My feet became wet from all the experiments which involved water!”Paul Deshmukh-Reeves, Year 8Students enjoyed a guided tour of historical interest in Nijmegen on Wednesday before an opportunity to buy souvenirs in the afternoon with their Dutch partners. During Thursday morning we visited a factory where students were shown how to make cheese. As a souvenir they all created a small round one to take home. During the early afternoon we travelled by coach to an art museum - due to the beautiful woodland location visitors ride by bicycle to the entrance. The Kandinsky and Imberhorne students descended in cycling mass and miraculously avoided potential collisions as we conquered the use of Dutch bicycles by cycling backwards to brake! On Friday we returned from a wonderful week. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the exchange and hope to remain in contact with their partners for future visits! Miss B Wearne, KS3 Teacher of Art and Design