Skipton Girls’ High School celebrates connections to Lille (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Skipton Girls’ High School celebrates connections to Lille

3:50pm Friday 10th February 2012 in Skipton & The Dales

Skipton Girls’ High School is celebrating its connections to a school near Lille in northern France.

The school has been carrying out exchange trips with Lycee St Jean in Douai since 2010 and has now had its link formally recognised by the French ministry of education.

For the past two years, a group of students from the small private French school has visited the UK in October and a group of SGHS pupils have gone to France in February.

The students carry out work experience at primary schools and businesses in addition to visiting major towns and cities.

Year 12 pupil Josie Wright, who went to France last year, said it had been a very rewarding trip, which had included a sightseeing tour of Paris and spending time in a primary school.

“One thing we discovered in Paris was that French people are very friendly and always say ‘bonjour’.

“I was lucky as I got to do my work experience at the primary school. I really enjoyed it as I got to help very cute six-year-olds learn to read and write, while learning lots of new French vocabulary myself.”

Emily Philipps said the trip was also a way of finding out more about French culture.

She said: “My work experience at a book shop was very useful as I had to interact with clients on a regular basis and also with colleagues which meant I saw how the language used differed in a formal situation. The work also helped a lot to widen my French vocabulary.”