Welcoming Finnish visitors

Last week we welcomed five Sixth Form students and five Year 11 students, and their two teachers, from Oulu Normaalikoulu (Oulu University Teacher Training School), in Finland. The relationship with the school was set up by Mrs Maria Kakengi, our teacher of Textiles and Democracy Co-ordinator, to offer students and teachers from both schools an experience of different cultures’ teaching and learning styles. The Finnish girls gain first-hand experience of the English education system, and our girls learn about Finnish schools, and the Finnish culture, via the web-based platform the group has developed. The Finnish girls have shared videos about their school life and ordinary daily activities, and members of our International Committee, and form 10T, have been watching these videos and couple of our girls made a video about themselves that was also shared via the blog.

The Finnish visitors spent time in our school attending lessons with their partners and received a tour of the school from Headmistress, Charlotte Avery. After school they took part in a baking activity where the younger Finnish students, together with their Food Tech teacher, taught our girls how to bake Finnish Sweet Buns in the food room. The Sixth Form guests attended the Mindfulness activity in the Chapel run by Mrs Helene Compain- Holt, Head of Boarding. Later the girls all came together to enjoy the freshly baked sweet buns – a real treat for all!