During the last academic year, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Host a Teacher from Germany programme, organised by the UK-German Connection. At a time when we are still living with the fallout from Brexit and with an ever-declining number of pupils studying languages in UK secondary schools, notably German, the exchange took on a greater importance for me.
We welcomed my colleague, Frau Kathrin Goldmann, to Oundle in November 2025. During her fortnight with us, she threw herself headfirst into the rigour of Oundle School life, notably recording a radio programme for OSCAR Radio in which she was interviewed by pupils about German reunification in 1990.
Fast forward nine months and the time arrived for me to return the visit to Germany. After a long weekend in Berlin to acclimatise to the Germanophone way of living, and to make several Stasi-related visits to supplement my A Level teaching, I found myself zipping through the Saxon countryside on a train delayed by only six minutes to my new home for two weeks, Dresden.
The capital city of the German state of Saxony, Dresden is known as the ‘Florence on the Elbe’ and is famous for its art collections, Baroque architecture and dramatic recovery after the bombing raids of February 1945. If you ever get the chance, be sure to visit its stunning Altstadt.
The school in which I was based, the Berufliches Schulzentrum Bautzen, was very different from Oundle in that it provided vocational as well as general education. Uniquely for me, this meant delivering lessons on both the British Royal Family and the UK education system alongside vocabulary relating to screwdrivers, washers, nuts and wire strippers.
Many of the vocational pupils were older than 18. They worked four days per week and spent the fifth day in the school, learning all about their crafts through the English language. It was a striking contrast with the British system and fascinating to see language learning being applied so directly to the pupils’ future professions.
Despite being far from home, it was comforting to hear during these lessons that the German pupils could list many familiar stereotypes of both themselves and the British. They unanimously agreed that their diet consisted entirely of beer and sausages and that their trains were never punctual. For us, it came as little surprise to them that I ate fish and chips, suffered from bad weather and drank copious amounts of tea, despite an argument frequently ensuing about good cups of tea never containing milk.
While mention of the word ‘boarding’ frequently conjured images of Hogwarts in the minds of my German pupils, they took a particular interest in learning more about Oundle School. Despite their surprise at the fees and horror at Saturday lessons and smartphone restrictions, the buildings and the town struck a particular chord of quaint Englishness.
Seeing Oundle through their eyes was also an interesting reminder of how distinctive aspects of School life can appear from the outside. Things which seem entirely normal when you live and work here can become much more noticeable when you have to explain them to someone else.
It goes without saying that I benefited hugely from taking part in this exchange. My own German improved and I had the chance to visit some wonderful towns across the former East, with Görlitz a particular favourite.
However, what was my biggest takeaway from the experience?
Progress.
The pupils with whom I worked over those two weeks had worked hard to maintain their multilingual family traditions. The town of Bautzen itself is home to a large Sorbian-speaking population, and I was impressed by the way both Sorbian and German cultures were promoted through its theatres, schools and museums.
In school, while speaking to a native English speaker was daunting for some pupils, they all took part willingly in the English-based activities. I was also impressed by the complexity of the English lessons I observed. One Grade 10 class, for example, was debating a Guardian article from 2016 assessing Hillary Clinton’s progress in cracking the glass ceiling.
Their willingness to discuss complex ideas in another language was a reminder of the value of language learning and of what can be achieved when pupils encounter other languages early and regularly.
More broadly, the exchange reminded me that learning another language is about much more than vocabulary and grammar. It is a way into another culture and another perspective, and sometimes a way of looking back at your own surroundings with fresh eyes.
