Following the success of the Upper Fifth (Year 11) exchange student visit to Benenden Bilingual School Guangzhou (BBSG) last term, Benenden had the pleasure of welcoming ten students from BBSG last week who were eager to experience boarding school life in Britain.
The visit was the first to be made by students from BBSG, and proved to be a vibrant and busy experience for all involved. One BBSG student said: “The students here are really friendly to us and really welcomed us.”
The group – six girls and four boys – were accompanied by two members of staff and enjoyed trips to London and Rye. They enjoyed cultural experiences which included a local pantomime and dining at the pub in the village, while also immersing themselves in the daily life of the School by joining lessons with the Fourth (Year 7) and Upper Fourth (Year 8).
A particular highlight for them was experiencing the wide variety of student societies and co-curricular activities on offer. Our Benenden students have warmly hosted the BBSG pupils, fostering new friendships and providing them with a real insight into life at Benenden.
In addition, our students were treated to presentations about Chinese culture and history and worked collaboratively with the visitors on projects including film making with Adobe Premiere Pro.
Speaking on their experience of Benenden UK, one student said “It is actually far beyond my expectations,” while another added “I’ve enjoyed every class I’ve had.”
We look forward to the ongoing success of this exchange programme with the next cohort of Benenden students travelling to Guangzhou later in the year.