We had an excellent time hosting our friends from Gymnasium Remchingen in Germany!

A group of our Years 9 and 10 pupils, who are all studying German here at King's, welcomed one or two German students into their homes for a week, following our own visit to their homes in Karlsruhe in December 2025.

This leg of the exchange proved to be especially memorable as the morning after the German students arrived, nine of them set off on the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expedition with their King’s partners!

Mr Miles Dabbs, Teacher of German at King's Ely Senior, said: "A two-day hike and a night under canvas in Suffolk provided an excellent bonding experience for the students, and we were hugely impressed by the German visitors’ resilience, enthusiasm, and willingness to throw themselves into the challenge. The expedition also gave them the opportunity to experience a unique aspect of British culture first-hand.

"After an evening recovering from the expedition with their host families, the German students attended school on Monday to experience life at King’s. They joined a Cathedral Service before taking part in a range of activities, including dance and drama workshops. They also visited Year 10 German lessons and met some of our younger linguists in Year 7 at King's Ely Prep."

As the week continued, our German visitors enjoyed day trips to London and Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, which they explored by bicycle. One of the highlights was undoubtedly our joint trip to Cambridge with both the German students and their exchange partners. After a punting tour, students took part in a scavenger hunt designed to introduce them to some of Cambridge’s lesser-known sights. Blessed with glorious sunshine, the day provided a wonderful opportunity for friendship, exploration, and cultural exchange. Similarly blessed was our farewell party on the evening before the students departed, where we were able to celebrate with pizza, lawn games, and some German tunes in the Hill House garden! 

Mr Dabbs said: "As always, it was a pleasure to welcome students from Gymnasium Remchingen to King’s. We remain extremely grateful to the King’s families who looked after and supported the German students throughout their stay - not least by enabling their participation in the DofE Expedition.

"It was wonderful to see such close friendships forming between the exchange partners, and we hope that for many students this marks the beginning of long-lasting cross-cultural and cross-linguistic connections. Plans are already underway for next year’s exchange programme, so when we waved goodbye to our German partners at Ely Station, it was very much an “Auf Wiedersehen” rather than a goodbye!"

Enjoy more photos from the exchange on our Facebook page: Facebook