THE RICH REWARDS OF OUR SHORT STAY PROGRAMME
Prior to the pandemic, Warminster School would welcome a number of short stay pupils every Summer, after half term. Sadly, this did not happen last year for obvious reasons. However, this year due to the perseverance of our fabulous Admissions Team we have welcomed 14 students, mainly from continental Europe. There have been many hurdles to jump through to get them here and we did not know if it would be possible. They quarantined on site over half term and thankfully all tested negative on test to release and have joined our various boarding houses and immersed themselves in the Warminster experience.
They come from all over Europe to benefit from the opportunity to experience life in Warminster. Some arrive with quite good English and some with very little. However, all leave with a significant improvement in their English language ability. They are delighted with the location of our school on the outskirts of lovely Warminster Town. We have been compared to Hogwarts and Hogsmead on a number of occasions!
But, this is not the only advantage of their time in Warminster. They are fully embraced by the boarding community and become an important part of our households. Our full time boarders and day pupils are also exposed to their languages and cultures and many lasting friendships are forged. Quite a number of our pupils have gone on to visit Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, German and Ukrainian families as a result.
The boarding houses go to great lengths to make them feel welcome as do all the staff and pupils across the School. Trips are planned regularly, fun evening activities and they also have a full timetable during the week. They are in town shopping every weekend which is great for the local economy and all go back to their respective countries with a positive experience of our small corner of Wiltshire. Win, win all around!
Sophie Saunders, Matron, Ivy House