A group of King's Ely Senior and Sixth Form students spent the final week of their Easter break in sunny Spain!

The ten-strong team of GCSE and A-Level Spanish pupils, Mrs Adela Muñoz-García, and Mr Miles Dabbs went on the Spanish Cultural Trip to the beautiful city of Granada.

The Years 11-13 students lived with host families from Don Quijote, which provided them with plentiful, real-life opportunities to practise their Spanish.

Sra. Muñoz-García, Teacher of Spanish at King's Ely Senior, said: "From breakfast table chats to evening conversations, our students embraced every chance to speak in Spanish - sometimes cautiously, often enthusiastically, and always with growing confidence. Mornings were spent at an international school, where students took part in speaking-focused lessons led by native speakers. With their upcoming speaking exams in mind, they worked incredibly hard, and it showed. Each day, their confidence blossomed, their fluency improved, and their willingness to 'have a go' became more and more impressive."

Afternoons during the trip were packed with cultural adventures. A guided tour of Granada took the group through historic gems, such as the Cathedral and the Albaicín, where they got to admire breath-taking views of the Alhambra set against the Sierra Nevada mountains. A visit to the Alhambra itself - a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site - was a definite highlight, leaving everyone in awe of its beauty and history! 

Sixth Form students in particular enjoyed a visit to the village of Valderrubio, where they explored sites connected to the world-renowned playwright, Federico García Lorca. Seeing the real-life inspiration behind La casa de Bernarda Alba, a key A-Level text, brought their studies vividly to life and proved that learning really can leap off the page.

Sra. Muñoz-García said: "There were also plenty of hands-on experiences. During a lively cooking session, students learned how to prepare a Spanish omelette and gazpacho. Let’s just say there were some very serious discussions about “the perfect flip”, but we are pleased to report that everyone rose to the challenge brilliantly! And, of course, no trip to southern Spain would be complete without flamenco. Students threw themselves into learning 'Tanguillos' with great enthusiasm (and varying degrees of coordination!), before rounding off the experience with a visit to a traditional cave house to watch an authentic flamenco performance. It was a truly unforgettable evening.

"What stood out most throughout the week was the joy, determination, and courage our students showed when speaking Spanish. Whether in lessons, with their host families, or out and about in the city, they made a tremendous effort, and the progress they made in such a short time was remarkable. They were an absolute credit to the school, their families, and themselves. One host parent summed it up perfectly: "It has been a delight to host them. We have never had students so polite, well behaved, and well-mannered. Please pass on our sincere congratulations to their teachers and their families".

"Students had a fantastic time, and Herr. Dabbs and I are incredibly proud of every single one of them."

Enjoy lots more photos from the trip on our Facebook: Facebook