There has long been a lively exchange between the secondary schools in Königswinter and its twin town of Cleethorpes in England initiated in part by the Association for the Promotion of the Königswinter-North East Lincolnshire Partnership. But now, at least form the UK side, "the classic school exchange as we know it from the past will no longer take place", as chairperson Monika Effelsberg reports. It is not only the pandemic that has brought school exchange trips to a near standstill.

The reason is not the Coronavirus but the "Risk Assessment" demanded by British schools. For some years, this has made it increasingly difficult to organise exchanges, and many teachers prefer to do without them altogether. These elaborate assessments have to be carried out to protect students from risks such as accidents, theft, abuse and much more. "That can amount to 300 to 400 pages per exchange," says Effelsberg. The requirement for the greatest possible security has gone so far that German host families are (under British law) legally required to provide an extended police certificate of good conduct for all family members over the age of 16. And despite all the precautionary measures, teachers would still be personally liable in case something happened, Effelsberg said.

While the interest in student exchanges in Germany is still so great "that we could easily fill three buses", interest on the English side is declining for another reason: "For many years already learning a foreign language has not been mandatory in British schools, and German is hardly ever taught anymore", as Nicole Sparla-Hübner, teacher at the Integrative Comprehensive School Oberpleis, reports. That's why the motivation for a school exchange is lacking.

In order to promote Königswinter and the preservation of the almost 50-year-old town twinning in with the English twin town and to explore new ways for student exchanges, a small delegation of the twinning association from the Siebengebirge travelled to North-East Lincolnshire before Christmas. In addition to a reception by the Mayor in Grimsby Town Hall and a visit to St. Andrews Childrens Hospice, Effelsberg, Sparla-Hübner and Ruth Kirchheim visited two schools interested in an exchange.

The German delegation experienced first-hand how high the health and safety requirements are at schools in the UK: "Unlike here, you can't just walk into British schools. The entire grounds are secured with sturdy fences and admission is through a huge barred gate after registration. All visitors are photographed and receive a visitor's badge with a picture," reports Effelsberg.

But the visit to the Beacon Academy in Cleethorpes was very pleasing nonetheless, after the original "relatively despondent" journey. The aim is to start a new form of student exchange in 2024, the year of the 50th anniversary of the town twinning. Exactly what this will look like, however, remains to be seen.

First of all, the teachers will visit each other’s schools. For example, it is planned that Beacon Academy teachers will travel to Königswinter in the autumn to get a first-hand impression of the school. Similar arrangements have been made with the second school, Cleethorpes Academy. In order for the pupils to get in touch with each other, competitions, for example on mathematics and science, Zoom conferences and e-mail friendships have also been considered. "So there is a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of student exchanges," says Effelsberg. Sparla-Hüber would then like to offer her students at least another study trip to England in 2024 - albeit probably without a host family stay and return visit at first. "But we hope that at some point we will be able to welcome interested pupils from the UK to Königswinter again."

Original text: Gabriela Quarg

Translation: Jean Lennox