The students and staff set off on a bleak, rainy day from LNS. After a long journey overnight through France, we finally arrived at our hotel in Calella, to the welcoming bright Spanish sunshine! All the students’ leapt into the outdoor swimming pool where they enjoyed jumping of the side and playing ball games followed by an evening of cricket and football on the beach!

On the first day we visited Waterworld in Lloret de Mar, an aquatic park. The boys enjoyed the waterslides and the rides. On the second day we went to Barcelona which included a tour of the famous ‘Camp Nou’ Stadium, home to football club Barcelona, followed by ‘La Sagrada Familia’ and lunch in ‘Parc Guell’. In the early evening the boys went shopping in their groups in Barcelona. Port Aventura was enjoyed by all on the third day, particularly the more dangerous rides. On the last day we just relaxed at the hotel making good use of the swimming pool and the games room.

Overall, the trip was very successful. The behaviour of the boys was excellent and there were no health or safety problems as we supervised the boys all the time.

A number of boys really immersed themselves in the Spanish language, particularly Jasper Hippolye in year 7, Joseph Beeton in year 8 and Callum Flood in Year 9!

Next year we have decided to travel to Andalucia by air. This will make the trip slightly more expensive but will be well worth it with planned visits to Granada. Cordoba, Seville, Gibraltar and even a day trip to Morocco!

Following the success of our Spanish trip to Barcelona, the MFL department organised a one week residential visit during the summer half term holiday to Spain’s most southern region, Andalusia. The aim of the trip is to gain cultural awareness of Spain and for LNS pupils to practice their spoken Spanish in real Spanish situations.

Here is Ms Lawton’s account of the trip:

On May 31^st, 40 boys from LNS departed for Estepona in Andalusia. We had a smooth flight from Stansted Airport to Granada and finally arrived at our hotel in the early hours of Friday morning. The hotel was situated around a large swimming pool and the boys had spacious rooms. On the second day of the trip we started with a visit to Estepona, a small town on the Andalusian coast. After a walk around the famous Estepona port, the boys had the chance to try some authentic Spanish food at ‘La Palma’, a restaurant run by a family friend of Mr López. Sakil Khan was brave enough to try the shrimps! In the afternoon we visited Marine World where Mr Carter showed us his talent for getting across the monkey ladder! We had the chance to see penguins, exotic birds, seals and a magnificent Dolphin show.

Gibraltar and La Línea de La Concepción was the excursion organised for day three. We set off in good time and arrived in La Línea de La Concepción where Mr López’s father (Papa López as the boys called him!) met us at the Spanish-Gibraltarian border. We crossed the runway and entered Main Street on the way to the cable car. We visited the Restaurant at the top of the Rock and the ape den, taking a cable car on the way. Once there Bradley Gray bravely tried to fight off a monkey looking for Mr O’Briens’ sweets to no avail and then posed for a picture next to the monkey! The boys enjoyed the Duty Free shopping in Gibraltar with a bus ride back to the border. In the afternoon the group enjoyed a late Spanish lunch at ‘La Pesquera’, a famous fish restaurant in La Línea de La Concepción. This was followed by a tour of La Línea de La Concepción which included the famous ‘La Plaza de La Constitucion’, ‘La Iglesia de la Inmaculada’ (built in 1850), ‘El Pasito Fariñas’ and the famous ‘EL Okay bar’ (locally pronounced as ‘El Jokey’).

On Saturday the group enjoyed a late start allowing the boys to relax by the pool. In the afternoon we visited the Alhambra in Granada, strolling through the magnificent gardens before walking through the beautiful palace home to Moorish Kings. Finally on the last day we visited a Water Park in Mijas where the boys had the chance to let off some steam on the slides. On the final evening Mr O’Brien conducted an awards ceremony giving an accolade to various boys for their achievements on the trip. The awards for the best Spanish speakers went to Paolo Andrade in Year 7 and Jack Holsgrove in year 10.

Here are some quotes made by some of LNS pupils about the trip:

‘The trip was great!, I though the water park was the best!, Please make the trip earlier next year so that Year 11 can go on it again. Thanks very much .. teachers .. for organising it’

The trip was a great success and as we enjoyed the hotel so much we are going to stay there again next year. The new letters for The 2008 Spanish trip will come out in September with trips to Gibraltar, La Línea de La Concepción, Ronda, Seville, Water Park and a Theme Park.

Hilary Lawton (Tour Leader)

This year, the MFL department is proud to announce that there are LNS pupils studying a range of languages which include: Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Italian, German and Latin.

We have also arranged a successful Spanish trip to Spain and Gibraltar which will be repeated next year. Through the Comenius Project we have enhanced LNS’s outlook in the International Dimension and expect to continue this work with the continuation of the project next year as well as welcoming a Comenius Assistant.

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John Charles López DipM DipBS BA (Hons) PGCE PG Exist. Psycho. MA FRSA ACIM

Head of Modern Foreign Languages & Work Experience Co-ordinator